Euphoria
by DxMaddox
Summary: Sequel to Red Sand. Sakura seems to finally be over Gaara, but this year's chunnin exams brings a certain someone to Konoha that stirs up unresolved feelings. Will Sakura's life be turned upside down once more?
1. He's back

**A/N**: Welcome to round 2!

I **strongly** advise readers to read the original story, **Red Sand**, before encountering this one.

I've just re-read the first seven or eight chapters of Red Sand, and realized it was pretty cheesy and rushed in terms of relationship, but please, give it a chance.

Anyways, the sequel has been haunting my dreams, but I've never gotten around to starting it. I only hope it will live up to expectations.

And now…

**Euphoria**

"Hey Sakura, let's go!" Ino's voice called out to the girl, waving her friend over. Locks of platinum blonde glistened under the Konoha sun. She giggled and readjusted her hair tie.

"I'm coming, Ino! I just have to do one last thing…" She shouted in response, quickly picking up her belongings and throwing it in the brown bag over her shoulder. She stood up from the table outside the café, bubblegum pink hair swaying with her actions.

Sprinting, using those magnificently toned legs of hers, she caught up in no time. Sakura was happy. The happiest she'd been in a long time. It's been a bit over a year since the incident. She refused to talk about it to anyone, but it wasn't difficult for anyone to see that she was hurt by it.

As much as she tried the first few months, she would still cry every night, come to work unfocused, and refused to go out with her friends. It wasn't until one day; a young man changed all of that.

_Flashback_

"_Hey, Sakura-chan. Is that you?" A voice asked her with a grin on his face, perfect white teeth shining through the sun._

_Sakura looked up from her cold tea at the café and winced slightly at the sun. She saw the outlines of a fuzzy jacket. She recognized the boy immediately._

"_Oh. Hey Kiba." She said, managing a small smile. It was forced, and it didn't take a Shikamaru to see it. Kiba seemed to ignore this though._

"_Mind if I sit down?" He asked her, motioning to the empty seat._

"_Yeah, knock your self out." She said, not really paying attention. She was used to everyone trying to talk to her about…the incident, and was waiting for the question._

"_Can I ask you something?" He asked her, fiddling his thumbs with a happy go lucky grin._

_Here it comes…Sakura thought._

"_Sure." She said with a smile._

"_Do you always use strawberry shampoo?" He asked, leaning his head on one of his hands._

_Sakura blinked._

"_What?" She asked, confused._

"_Well, I've known you pretty long now, I mean, we go back to academy days... Ino, Tenten, and Hinata always smell like different shampoos. You though, I must say, you are always strawberry." He said with a laugh._

_Sakura couldn't help but smile a little. _

"_It's going to sound silly, but I used to think Sasuke liked the smell of them. I guess I never got around to changing that." She responded._

_Kiba grinned, and sat up straight._

"_Well, I don't know if Sasuke does. But ya no, it's never too late for a change. I'll see you around, Sakura." He said, before he got up and left._

_Sakura sat there, the smile present still. Only, it didn't feel heavy or forced. She looked down at her tea, her lips still curved upward._

_Yeah…it isn't too late for a change. She thought._

_That night, Sakura bought a new shampoo. _

"Shikamaru!" Ino shrieked happily, running toward the man leaning against the wall. She embraced him warmly, eyes almost glowing with pride. She had landed the resident genius. Sakura never realized how beautiful her friend was when she smiled like that.

"Hey…" Shikamaru said lazily, wrapping his arms around the small figure of the girl. The two had grown fond over the last year; after their falling out, Shikamaru had gone out and bought her a diamond necklace, and the rest was history.

"Hey Shikamaru." Sakura grinned, standing beside Ino, feeling just a little awkward, but she couldn't help but smile, the two were just so sweet around each other.

"Hey Sakura. Kiba said he was running a little late. He'll be here soon." Shikamaru told her.

Sakura nodded. She didn't mind him being late. As long as he was there, it was good enough for her. She felt complete. As much as she hid it, she still remembered the day she left Suna. It was exactly a year and a week ago. She tried her best to hide her pain on that day, but Kiba realized immediately and took her out for dinner. She didn't complain.

"How lucky are we? Two of the finest men of Konoha, madly in love with us! I have a genius, and you, you my friend…have a dog!" Ino giggled loudly, making her two friends wince slightly.

"Oh I know. I am the luckiest girl in the world." Sakura added with a laugh. Ino smiled warmly, enjoying the sound of her friend's laugh.

"Hey! Sorry for being late." Kiba said, strolling in from around the corner. His hair was waving in the wind, and he was donning his usual apparel. He walked over to Sakura, and slid his arms around her waist, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"How's that for a greeting?" He asked her, with a flirting glance. Sakura smiled, feeling shivers go up her spine. She twisted around in his grip and grinned.

"Hmm…it was okay, for a mutt." She added with a playful laugh. Kiba mocked a look of hurt.

The foursome took off to the movies shortly after the greetings, hand in hand, with occasional stops alongside shops, with Ino and Sakura commenting on something in the window display.

"Hey, Shikamaru can I ask you something?" Kiba asked the other male, hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall, watching the two females squeal and point.

"Hnn?" Shikamaru replied.

"Think I should make it official now? I mean…I've been with Sakura for 5 months now…but we haven't made anything official. Sometimes, I don't even really know if she likes me."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Sakura still is recovering." Shikamaru explained.

"I'll take your word for it." He murmured to himself, before the two girls came back. Ino slid her hand around Shikamaru's, and the two of them walked ahead.

Sakura merely stood beside Kiba with a smile. "Let's go?" She asked him. Kiba nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, puffing up in pride as the other men stared in awe at the two ladies.

It wasn't too much of a surprise that the duo, Ino and Sakura, had received the most attention from the opposite gender. Hinata was too shy to catch much attention, and everyone knew to stay away from Tenten, even if she didn't know it, she was pretty much Neji's territory.

Ino had that classic beauty that drew men towards her, from the sparkling blue eyes to the perfect blonde hair. Sakura on the other hand, she was an odd one. The green eyes, pink hair, and usually spunky personality were hard to ignore.

Naturally, Shikamaru overlooked this fact about Ino. He was too lazy to notice the stares of envy he received from other men. Kiba however, Kiba knew exactly how lucky he was. Out of all the impressive Shinobi, Sakura had chosen him.

"Kiba-kun?" She murmured to him, as they reached their seats in the theatre and sat down, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Yes?" he asked her, hand laced with hers.

"Stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone." She whispered, tightening her grip on his hand. Sakura felt so safe around Kiba. It wasn't that he was a particularly impressive shinobi, in fact, he had not yet passed his jounin exams, but it was how he treated her, and how he could make her laugh in any situation.

This was something the boy would not have to think twice about. Kiba grinned and nodded.

"Whatever you want, Sakura." He murmured, kissing her cheek lightly. Sakura beamed, feeling her heart inflate. _Gaara probably found someone too…you really stop thinking about him. You have Kiba, wonderful, amazing, Gorgeous Kiba. _

At this she smiled. Oh how lucky she truly was.

----

However, in a village far away, things were not going so well for a certain other. A boy sat, clutching his head on the rooftop of the Kazekage's tower. He looked much different then a year previous. His face had matured; he had gotten leaner, stronger.

"Gaara…come on, you have to stop this. It's been way too long. Come down to the meeting." His sister's voice called out softly, hand gingerly resting on his shoulder. She couldn't believe what a mess he was. He seemed fine this last year, until a week ago; he broke down and lost it. That day, he sent 10 people into the hospital.

"Yeah…I'm coming." He said, shaking his shoulders slightly. He sucked in a deep breath of air and stood up, his clothes falling down into place.

"You know, Chunin exams are held in Konoha this year…you're going to have to see her soon." Temari said, following the boy to the door.

"Yes, I'm aware of this." Gaara replied, still stoic. He was dreading this moment everyday of last week. He did not know what was going on in Konoha. He had not seen her since she left. He had not heard news about her in any way. He had not talked to her.

"Sakura will be an examiner this year." Temari finished.

"I understand." Gaara said, opening the door, waiting for his sister to step in first.

"Gaara, it's not too late. I think you can still make it work. You and I both know you haven't stopped caring about her." She said, walking down the spiral staircase.

"Hnn." Gaara said, dropping the subject. Temari smiled, she was not going to give this up that easily.

_I hope your right, Temari. _Gaara thought, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips, at the possibility of seeing Sakura once more, oh how he had missed her so.

---

**A/N:** I know it's awfully short. The other chapters will be much longer, I promise. I'm sorry but I am so tired. It's around one in the morning and I've got lots of studying to do. But I just wanted to make sure the first chapter was up.

So now you know the love triangle involved, let me know what you think.

Remember, read and review:)


	2. First day

**A/N**: Ooh, I am such the rebel. I have a huge French test but I'm just not in a studying mood. Anyways, it's getting pretty close to the end of the weekend for me, and let me tell ya; I'm very tired. I have a test first thing in the morning, so I might as well relieve some stress now. I'm glad to see that I've already gained support for this story, and I just wanted to say thank you!

If you aren't aware of this, I have a little traditional to hold "Review" awards at the end of the fic, and usually I will comment on someone's review if I feel need to. So ask questions in your reviews or anything you'd like me to know, I do value your opinion!

**Euphoria**

"Good night, Sakura-Chan!" Ino shouted out happily to her friend, giving her a large wave from down the street. The movie had finished an hour ago, and the foursome went out to get some dinner before parting ways. Shikamaru had to leave early to get ready for a mission in the morning, so Kiba and Sakura stayed with Ino a bit longer before leaving themselves.

"Good night, Ino-Chan!" Sakura gleefully replied, before turning around and linking her arm with the tall male beside her. Kiba grinned and started to walk in the opposite direction.

"You sure you need me there? I mean…I could always just call you in the morning." He teased her, for the tenth time since she asked him to stay with her.

"Haha very funny. If you don't want to stay with me, that's fine by me." She said, walking dignifiedly in front of him; Kiba's face faltered.

"Wait just a second, I said no such thing." He whined, pouting his lower lip. Sakura turned around and giggled, wrapping her arms around his torso, feeling his hand on the small of her back.

"I suppose you could…since you want to so bad." Sakura grinned out. Kiba smirked, and picked her up piggyback style. Sakura let out a small yelp before feeling Kiba speed up towards her home.

"That was so much fun! I felt like I was five again!" She said with a large grin, as he let her down on her front steps. Kiba smiled, and scratched his head.

"Ahh…it was nothing." He said quietly, embarrassed by the display of happiness by Sakura. His eyes shifted to the girl, who opened up her door and stepped aside to let him in.

"I realize you've never stayed overnight before, so here's the rule. If I catch you peeping while I'm changing or having a shower, I'm throwing you out. Got it?" She said sternly, but ruined the seriousness with a small grin.

"Whatever you say, ma'am." Kiba returned with a salute, before strolling into the small home. It was clean, matching, and everything you'd expect from Sakura Haruno, the only odd thing was, she didn't seem to own a set of picture frames anywhere in the house.

"Hey Sakura, why don't you have any pictures?" He asked curiously, sitting down on a couch. Sakura paused in the kitchen, where she was pouring them some drinks.

"I don't tend to keep pictures…they just remind me of the past." She told him after a while, before coming back out of the kitchen with two full glasses. Kiba took one with a small, 'thanks'.

"Hmm, I'm hurt. What about those ones we took at the park during Ino's birthday? You looked real pretty in them." Kiba asked her, wrapping an arm around the girl as she laid her head on his chest.

Sakura shifted her position on the couch and took a small sip before setting the glass down.

"I suppose you're right…let's go buy some frames tomorrow?" She asked him with a smile. She loved how he got her to think differently, as if his view of the world was far better than what she saw everyday.

"Can't. I promised Hinata and Shino we'd get together." Kiba told her, stroking her hair. She smelled wonderful, even when she didn't try. Ino always smelled like some sort of perfume, but Sakura, Sakura had her own scent.

He smiled inwardly, remembering that day when she no longer smelled of strawberries. It was a nice change; it also helped that she wore her hair up for the first time in months and smiled. Not a fake smile, a real smile.

At this, Sakura frowned. Boy did that bring back memories. Sasuke. This past year, she had been too busy with Gaara to even remember the ebony locked boy that she was first in love with. This only reminded her of the fact they still had not found him.

Something in her heart had shattered at that thought…as if…she knew that he was gone for good. Not in the sense that he was dead…but that; he wouldn't come back for her, like she had hoped two years ago.

"Oh okay. Tell Hinata I say hi. Shino too." She said, blinking out of her memory. Kiba nodded in agreement.

"Sakura…I've been meaning to ask you something." Kiba started to say, realizing that it was the perfect opportunity.

"Yes, Kiba-kun?" She asked him, curious, and she shifted so she was facing him.

Kiba swallowed. Oh boy…

"Uh…okay, well here I go. I'm a pretty carefree guy, I think. But yeah, I really like spending time with you Sakura…so I guess what I'm trying to ask is, would you…I mean, would you only date me?" He asked, only after saying it, realizing how badly worded it was.

Sakura blinked at first, processing what he was saying, before she grinned and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Kiba asked, partially hurt by her laughs. Sakura glanced at him and stopped.

"Kiba-kun! I don't think of any other boy the way I do you," She began to say, when a surprising voice, a voice she hadn't heard in a while popped up,

_**Liar**. His name is Gaara and you love him. _

The voice seemed foreign, until she realized it was her inner self.

"Oh, that's great!" Kiba said, grinning, not realizing the look of pure horror on her face.

_I do not…that was long ago. He and I broke it off. I love Kiba now. _She fought back in her mind.

_Keep telling yourself that. _Her inner voice chided, before it disappeared again.

Her brows met in frustration, why of all times would her voice choose to speak up, why now? Then it clicked. Of course!

Her eyes widened as she realized the simple fact. The Chunin exams were next week…He would be here. At this thought, all color drained from her face, and her heart immediately sped up, and she felt numb.

"Sakura? Sakura? Are you okay?" Kiba asked immediately, sensing the change in her body.

Her breathing started to deepen and she couldn't speak. All she could think of was red hair, the hot Suna sun, his amazing kisses, and then…the goodbye.

"He…he…he's coming here." She murmured, stuttering. Kiba looked confused; whom was she talking about?

"Who? Who, Sakura?" He asked her, holding onto her shoulders gently.

In one word, she felt all the air rush out of her lungs,

"Gaara."

--

"These are the students we are entering this year?" Gaara asked frustrated. None of them stood up to his standards. But then again, no one stood up to his standards.

"Kazekage-san…they're highly skilled." One jounin tried to reason, only to gain a glare from Gaara.

"I won't have Suna lose this year. Do you recall last year's embarrassing defeat? Not a single Suna genin passed. What has education come to? The year I was a genin," He started to say, but was interrupted.

"You didn't pass either. So stop giving everyone such a hard time. Lay off the instructors, Dearest brother of mine." Temari said with a tired yawn.

Gaara glared at her, feeling all hatred for the sibling. He couldn't do anything though…he needed a favor from her.

"Fine. Just make sure they are prepared." Gaara said, dismissing the other relieved Jounin.

"You let me off easy…what's up, Gaara?" Temari asked him, after the last one left the room.

Gaara switched his weight from one leg to the other.

"…I need a favor." He finally said. He glanced out the window as he said this. He could see the sun setting, the orange hues dancing atop the roofs.

"Go on…" Temari asked, raising an eyebrow. What could his brother possible need from her? He hadn't depended on her since well…ever.

"I doubt it will happen, but in the case that it does…I need you to distract the board members that are coming with us to Konoha. I…have some places to go and I'd appreciate the privacy." He said gently, hinting it out to her.

Temari took a second before she understood and a smile ran across her face. Her eyes were glowing with pride.

"Oh, of course I will!" She gushed. Gaara did not enjoy this much emotion coming from his sister, but he was thankful for it. Temari could at times be caring, and he would use it to his advantage.

With that said, Gaara dismissed Temari from his office and sat down in his chair. Her voice was everywhere lately. It was haunting him.

Glancing down at the desk, he remembered how they had their first…encounter, for lack of better wording, there. With a small smirk, he placed a hand on top of the desk.

He wondered how she had been…was she still as miserable as he? Had she moved on? Did she pine for him like he did her? A million questions ran through his head. He would have to wait a few more days to get these answers.

--

Kiba froze as she uttered the single name that managed to send shivers down his spine. A sinking feeling in his heart told him what he was afraid of. She wasn't over him.

His grip on the girl loosened, and his eyes cast downwards at the glass filled with water. He hungrily drank it all in one chug. Sakura seemed to snap out of her daze and looked at him confused.

"Kiba?" She murmured, putting her hand on his. He snatched his hand away.

"I can't stay Sakura. I gotta go." He said to her, standing up to leave. Sakura looked hurt and stood as well, holding him back.

"What? Why? Kiba-kun, what's wrong?" She asked him, hand still holding onto his. At this, he seemed to flinch.

Turning around, he put on his best smile, and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Call me when you've sorted things out, okay?" He whispered to her, before opening the front door and leaving.

Sakura stood there, for the first time in months, she felt so alone. She wasn't dumb though. The minute those words slipped from his lips, she understood the meaning.

Hanging her head down, she could feel her eyes burn, and then water. She curled her fists. She refused to cry. She promised she wouldn't cry over him anymore.

_He doesn't think I'm over Gaara…_She thought to herself. Who could blame the boy? She hardly acted like she was. At the mere thought of him coming to Konoha, she had frozen up.

_But…its just nerves…yeah, yeah, that's what it is. I'm just nervous to see him. _She thought.

_Once I see him, all this will be gone…then I'll know. I'll know that I love Kiba. _Sakura settled with this thought, and turned around to draw a hot bath.

"I'll prove to them all…I'm not the same anymore. I don't want him." She said to the air, and with that, she closed the bathroom door.

--

Kiba wandered through the streets of Konoha, the once busy village quiet at night. The way he liked it. He could smell the dew on the grass, and the flowers about to bloom. It was his favorite season. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he walked.

"Oh Sakura…why do you do this to me?" He muttered, collapsing on a bench with a sigh of aggression. His head was buried in his hands and he didn't notice another set of footsteps coming near and sitting down.

"Can't sleep?" The voice drew out.

Kiba sat up with a sigh and nodded.

"When did you get back? Thought your mission was till tomorrow." Kiba asked the boy, with a slight grin.

"A few hours ago. We finished early. So, what has Sakura-Chan done now?" The boy asked him with a slight chuckle.

"Nothing…I just…you were with her when she was with Gaara, weren't you? Do I…do I…?" Kiba stuttered out, before ending in a groan of frustration.

"Do you what?"

"Do I make her as happy?" He finally asked, exasperated.

A long silence followed his question before the boy spoke up.

"I think you make her a different kind of happy. I don't think anyone could give her what Gaara gave her, and it would be foolish of you to try. But don't forget that they are apart for a reason too. Don't doubt yourself, Kiba…Gaara did have her, but you have her now. I wouldn't screw it up over something as stupid as a past relationship."

Kiba stood up, before he smirked a little.

"When did you get to be such a wise ass?"

"I'm on high medication to prevent pain right now…you'll be lucky if you can get me to form a sentence tomorrow." The boy said, lifting his shirt to show the bandaged up wound on his side.

"Keh…get some rest." Kiba said with a grin, before standing up and putting his hands back in his pockets.

"Will do." The boy replied and waved slightly, before walking off in the opposite direction.

_What a weird guy…heh. I'm glad we're friends, Naruto._

--

Beep! Sakura's alarm shrilled at a ear-splitting volume, causing her to sit up in her bed and groan, slamming a hand down onto the 'snooze' button.

_Today's the day…get up Sakura._ She thought, and shifted her weight so she could stand up easily.

She hasn't talked to Kiba in four days, and she was feeling lousy. Today was the arrival of the contestants, along with a very important Kazekage. She would have to look her best, and stay for the introductions. When would she have time to find Kiba?

She knew he'd be there to support her. He was loyal, she could count on him for that, but at this point, she wasn't sure how strong she'd be. All week she had been telling her self she would show them that she didn't care. But now that the day was here, her brain was telling her different things.

Getting dressed even seemed to be a problem. She threw on the wrong clothes, her shoes the wrong feet, and her makeup was messed up. She settled on washing it all off. She wasn't one to wear it anyways.

Walking down the stairs, with shaky legs, she inhaled deeply and glanced at her reflection in the hall mirror once more.

She looked decent…acceptable…and with that thought in mind, she sprinted out of the house and out towards the Hokage tower, where she knew, that Gaara would already be…early, as usual.

--

He couldn't believe it. How was it possible for one woman to get even more beautiful? Gaara swallowed slightly, eyes almost ravishing her appearance, hunger in his eyes.

There she stood, just like he'd expect, but at the same time, still so shocking. Her eyes seemed different, the green more sparkle than before, and her lips. Oh how her lips seemed to soft and supple.

"Sakura-Chan…" He breathed out, hardly able to contain his emotion.

--

Sakura was numb. He was radiant…the perfect vision of Man as God created it, strong, lean, with impeccably stunning features. She felt her knees go weak, stomach flip.

She couldn't do it. All she wanted to do was to be back in his arms. She wanted to hear him say her name lovingly, like he had before. Her eyes almost glazed, she wanted him back.

At the same time she had this realization, an image of Kiba flew into her mind, almost scolding her. Oh how her heart was torn in two. How sweet had Kiba been? So patient and loving. How he nursed her back to health…and now, she would dump him cold, just like that? No…Sakura couldn't do that.

"Gaara-Kun…welcome back." She said to him finally, before she walked over to give him a warm embrace.

She felt him tense and then relax. Oh how she forgot what it was like to be in his arms. Sakura could hear his heartbeat. She could smell the desert sun on him, feel his eyes on her, and oh how she loved every bit of it.

"I…I've missed you." He murmured softly, feeling at once his heart heal. Being with her for that one moment was worth it all. Worth pushing everyone to travel faster, worth skipping a day's worth of ceremonies back at Suna.

Those words bit into her soul and Sakura let go of him. She couldn't fall back in love with him…no, it wouldn't be right. She couldn't let him affect her.

"I have too…" She murmured softly, looking up to stare him in the eyes.

"Hokage-san, if you won't mind excusing me for a minute. I'll meet back at the start of the festival…I've got to find Kiba-kun." Sakura added, with a short bow.

Gaara's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name. It sounded familiar…was he the genin that transformed into a dog? Must have been him. He reeked of dog. Why would she need to find him?

_She's moved on._ A voice told him in his head. At this, his features softened. The moment of his heart shattering…he couldn't let anyone see.

Gaara was no longer paying attention to the voices, somewhere along the lines of talking, Sakura had left, but it didn't matter anymore. She didn't want him anymore.

He could feel the woman's eyes on him. Turning around, He continued to discuss plans with the Hokage, stone cold as always, not letting her see the pain inside.

_Why would she still love you? You pushed her aside. _

Gaara ignored this voice.

_Just give up. _

Gaara ignored that one too,

_She doesn't want you anymore._

And that one,

_There's no point in trying anymore,_

Gaara paused.

_She's found someone else._

He grimaced at that thought.

_I'm not done with her yet though…_

Gaara glanced out the window behind the Hokage, and saw her figure running towards the opposite end of the street.

_I still want her._

--

**A/N:** Why do I always do my writing so late now? I finished this chapter just after I finished all my activities for the night. It's around midnight now. Good news is, my major French test is over. Phew, bad news. My major English test is tomorrow. I really should be studying for it.

The length was okay I suppose, I still want to make it a little longer but I'm tired. I just wanted to say thank you for all the support I've been given, and I look forward to reading your comments!

Ciao! R&R!


	3. Wild Nights

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews! I'm a bit disappointed I haven't seen any from certain fans from Red Sand but I'm very glad for the reviews I have seen so far. They've been very kind and encouraging.

As for whether or not this will be a happy ending, you will just have to read to find out. Though I will tell you, I don't plan to continue the story after this, so the ending will be good.

On a further note, the Chunin exam is basically a mimic of what they went through. I wasn't sure if they changed it each year or what…but please bare with me.

Windswept

"Kiba! Kiba!" Sakura shouted, as she crossed the street, waving her arms like mad at a boy who looked like he was stretching.

His ears twitched slightly and he looked up with a warm smile. Out of habit, the boy extended his arms for an embrace and found the girl colliding into him.

"Hey, Sakura. What's up?" He asked her, inhaling the lavender shampoo she was wearing. He hadn't talked to the girl since a week previous, but they've smiled at each other when they passed each other on the sidewalks.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me…I guess I'm just nervous." She murmured softly, not moving out of his embrace, unaware of the pair of eyes that watched her from the Hokage Building.

Kiba stood there silent for a moment, before his grin widened. He tightened his grip on the girl, and laughed.

"Don't be sorry. I'm just glad you didn't go running back to him." He joked, with a small chuckle.

Sakura didn't find this funny. She paled slightly and let out a hollow laugh.

"Yeah…me too."

--

An hour passed before the contestants were let in to the first test. This was the same format as previous years, written exam first. Sakura was one of the jounin selected to watch for cheaters.

She found this rather boring, since none of the Chunin this year seemed very original, and were caught almost instantly. However, as her eyes scanned the room, she noticed a boy.

He had red hair, and dark blue eyes. His looks weren't all that interesting, but what he was doing…well, it was the most original out of the rest of them.

He seemed not to be writing at all. He sat there, with his hands crossed over his chest, eyes concentrated on the back of the girl in front of him. She glanced towards the girl, who was writing effortlessly, reminding her of when she took the exam and she smiled at the memory.

The girl paused and put down her pencil. Sakura noticed the moment that she stopped; the boy picked up his pencil and started. She was curious, what on earth were they doing?

Then she saw it; a flash of something metal in the girl's hair. She stood up and walked over.

"Pull up your hair." Sakura commanded. The girl glanced up and nodded, putting it up in a ponytail.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked at the hair band. Damn. It was just a shiny logo design. She turned around and sat back down in her chair.

"Time's up." The instructor yelled. He then proceeded to give the speech about cheating and getting caught. Sakura numbed this out and just stared out the window.

It didn't take long before the students stood up and proceeded to the next room. Sakura stood up with the other jounin and started to collect the tests. She paused at the boy's test. The writing seemed identical to the girl's test. How did he do it?

She'd confront them later about it. Tayuki Kanimoya. She made note of his name. He was a sand genin, she also realized.

The girl…what was her name? She glanced at the test paper, Yumi Nakatashi, also sand genin.

Sakura made her way out of the room after dropping all the tests off, and dashed off to the second round. She would be leading this one.

Once she got there, she noticed they all looked good and scared…except the Sand genin. They all stood, emotionless. She frowned at this.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" She asked, hearing a chorus of silence for a response.

" I can guarantee you. How ever difficult you think this will be, it will be twice as hard. Do all that you need to win. I'm not here to hold your hand or give you tips, but I will tell you this…teamwork is crucial. Have you all gone over the rules?" She commanded, switching into jounin mode.

A few students nodded, though the majorities were just looking anxious.

"Very well. Come up here to receive your scrolls." She said, looking firm.

Once each team had received a scroll, she opened the gates. They all took off, looking determined.

She locked the gate, and preceded toward the elimination building, where the Kages were having their introduction speeches.

As she opened the door, she noticed that the room's atmosphere was very light hearted. The meeting must be over…she thought. Her eyes searched around before they landed on Gaara.

With a long sigh, she walked over proudly, and smiled bravely.

"Gaara, good to see you again." She said with a smile. Gaara glanced down at her and nodded.

"Same to you. How did my genin do?" He asked her offhand.

Sakura smiled and was happy to report to him,

"Very well so far. They all passed through to round 2. Though, I do have a question if you don't mind." She said, remembering Tayuki and Yumi.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Two students, Tayuki and Yumi," She started but found herself interrupted.

"They are the top genin in my village. You must be wondering about their technique?" He asked.

"Their? I thought Tayuki was cheating off his teammate." Sakura said, embarrassed by her wrong assumption.

"It's a simple mind transfer technique. Just a little modified. The body doesn't go limp; it is just in a coma like state in the last position the body was in before the transfer. The time limit is also extended."

Gaara explained to her.

Sakura nodded.

"Huh…I see."

"So…what have you been up to lately?" She asked him after a silence took place.

"…. Actually…my year in ruling is coming to an end." He chose to share with her. At this, Sakura's eyes widened.

"What? Why?" She asked him, hands automatically wrapping around his right arm.

"…. I'm not stable." He said after a pause. It was something he hadn't shared with many people. The only people aware of this were his siblings, and Tsunade.

This didn't surprise Sakura. She had not known Gaara to be completely stable since she had been in Suna. Rumors had always spread to Konoha, and she had heard some of the things he'd done.

However, she was genuinely worried for him. Guilt started to knaw at her insides. Was it because she put so much pressure on him?

"Gaara…what happened to you…" She whispered, eyes gazing down at the floor.

"...Sakura…are you crying?" He asked gently, lifting her chin with his thumb.

She shook her head and wiped at her eyes, surprised to find moisture.

"No…I'm just…allergic." She lied. At this, they both chuckled.

Noticing that they were getting quite the amount of attention, Gaara stood up straight and motioned for her to follow him out.

Sakura chewed on her bottom lip and nodded, before following him out the doors.

Once they were outside, Sakura leaned against the balcony railing as Gaara stood, arms crossed, against the building's walls.

"…You know, Naruto will never let you live it down." Sakura said with a smile.

"Live what down?"

"The fact you lost your Kazekage position."

Gaara smiled a little.

"I suppose so. I don't intend on losing it just yet." Gaara said confidently.

"I've heard some rumors…what exactly did you do to those poor people?" Sakura asked.

Gaara's smile dropped. "I don't know…it's like I lost control. Something about them bugged me, I guess."

"…But…what did you do to them?" She pushed, turning around to look at him.

Gaara clenched his fists. "I hurt them."

Sakura left it at this. She didn't need the gruesome details of their disfiguration.

"I see. Well, I've been doing the opposite of you have. I've been busy at the hospital, almost everyday now." Sakura said happily.

"Don't you always do that?" Gaara asked tiredly.

Sakura nodded, not sensing his boredom.

"Yeah, but it's fulfilling. Oh, I should probably go. I said I'd meet with someone for a movie." She said, glancing at her watch.

"Who." Gaara said, a fury almost in his voice. It wasn't a question; it was a demand.

Sakura stared at him for a moment and fiddled her thumbs before she stood a little taller and made her way back to the door.

"Kiba." She said before walking in and closing the door.

--

Sakura skipped down the street, happy with her grand egress. It felt so good, having all that control, knowing that he was obviously not happy with the idea she was leaving his company for someone else.

How delightful. She couldn't believe it. In a single instant, she was as happy as she could be.

Arriving near the theatre, she smiled as she saw the familiar shape of Kiba. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she hummed to herself as she jogged over and tackled him into a hug.

"Hey!" She squealed out.

"Haha, Hi there." He replied, hugging her softly, carefully not to squeeze too hard. She looked so fragile.

"Let's go?" She murmured, linking her hand within his.

"Yeah, sounds good." He said, placing his left arm around her waist. As the two made their way into the theatre, older women whispered among themselves, and giggled and pointed, often the words, 'young love' came up.

Kiba grinned, pleased with this, however, Sakura didn't look as comfortable. Though she was happy, something was tugging at the bottom of her heart, and it ached.

"Sakura?" Kiba asked.

"Yes?" She asked back, glancing up at him.

"Which movie you wanna see?" He asked her with a smile.

Sakura grinned, that was what she loved bout him. No pressure kind of relationship.

"Let's see…Wild Nights." Sakura decided, pointing at the poster on the wall.

Kiba whistled, "Sounds good to me."

Sakura giggled.

"Do you know what it is about?" She asked him.

Kiba shook his head, "No, but it sounds great."

"It's about a zoo veterinarian…" Sakura explained.

Kiba frowned.

"Oh."

At this, they both chuckled.

"That's a shame." Kiba grumbled as they paid for their tickets.

"What did you have in mind?" Sakura asked, with a sly grin.

"Oh…I think you know." Kiba cooed, purring in her ear, making her squirm and laugh.

"My my, why on earth would I watch something like that?" Sakura asked him.

"I don't know…sense of adventure?" Kiba asked, as the two of them headed toward their seats.

"Hah. That died long ago." Sakura said with a snort.

Kiba grinned and ruffled her hair affectionately as they sat down.

--

Gaara sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall facing him. Only forty more minutes of this and he could be free to go wherever he pleased. Now that introductions were over, the string of gossip amongst everyone was busy circulating.

He was advised to shake a few hands, meet some people, but that was never his style. He compromised that with just being in the room at the same time the gossip took place.

His mind was far elsewhere though. He couldn't stop thinking about her…

She was haunting his mind and he couldn't do a thing about it. She was having fun while he was in misery.

Though a small part of him knew that she deserved to have some fun after what he put her through, he still didn't like the fact that she was at a movie some random boy, especially since the boy she picked happened to reek of dog all the time.

Yes, he was definitely not pleased.

What did she see in him anyways? He wasn't that strong of a Chunin, had mediocre looks, and was far from the brightest…so what was it that attracted her?

She puzzled him endlessly; it was like she was a puzzle that he still had not solved.

In forty minutes, he would leave the room and solve that puzzle.

--

"Oy! Over here." Naruto shouted, from the hospital bed. Two puzzled strangers glanced over at him.

"Oh…hehe thought you were someone else." He mumbled with a laugh, scratching the back of his head.

He could have sworn that was Kiba and Sakura. They should have been there by now.

As if on cue, the door to the shared room opened, and emerged bubblegum pink hair.

"Naruto!" Sakura squealed, rushing over to the boy and embracing him softly.

"Hey Naruto." Kiba said casually, walking in and closing the door behind him.

"We came as soon as we got the message. It's good they are letting you out. You sure surprised us." Sakura said.

"Yeah…heh, I hope I didn't interrupt anything important." Naruto said, with a wink.

Kiba grinned, "Actually, you saved me from the second half of the most boring movie in the world, also with the most misleading title, I must say."

"It was good!" Sakura grumbled, before letting go of the blonde.

"Come on, I'll help you out of the bed." Sakura added, putting Naruto's right arm over her shoulder. Kiba did the same for his left.

With a joint effort, they pulled the blonde up off the bed. Struggling at first, Naruto soon got into the routine of walking around the room, and was ready to leave in less than an hour.

"I thought you were at the examinations. I was surprised to hear you on Kiba's cell phone." Naruto said to Sakura, as the trio walked through the white halls.

"Yeah, well, it got boring. Though, I should get back. Thanks for reminding me." Sakura mumbled with a half sigh.

Naruto pouted,

"Aw but I just got out…" He whined.

"I know. We will do something tomorrow. For sure. I've got to run." Sakura said, giving both the boys a hug before waving and hopping onto a rooftop. This was the fastest way to get to the examination hall.

--

Gaara held in that long sigh of relief, as he walked out of the building. Wincing first at the sun, his eyes quickly adjusted to the light and he began his search for Sakura.

Movie…where would the theatre be? He thought to himself as he dashed quickly through the streets.

The world around him became a blur, but he somehow managed to get a good look at the building around the main streets and soon found the theatre.

Although he could smell her shampoo by the doors, something told him she was no longer there.

_Damn it. _

_Where would she be? _

He grunted in frustration and walked back out. Not feeling the need to pass by strangers, he jumped onto the roof and began searching once more. This was a wise choice as he soon saw another figure hopping along in front of him.

Catching up with ease, he seemed to startle Sakura.

"Gaara-kun!" She screamed, screeching to a stop as she saw his face beside hers. Her heart was racing and she put a hand on top of it to calm it.

"You scared me! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She shouted.

"You're a shinobi…shouldn't you have realized I was here?" Gaara asked her with a slight grin.

"Humph. What do you want?" She muttered angrily, embarrassed at the truth of his words.

"Well I was looking for you in the theatre," He started and paused.

Sakura blinked before she grinned.

"You were following me?" She asked laughing.

"…I suppose you could call it that. I was merely curious to see what movie you would see." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sakura smiled.

"Sure, that's what it was. So, where are you headed now that you have found me?" She asked him.

Gaara blinked, he hadn't thought that far ahead into the plan yet.

"I don't know…where are you going?" He asked her.

"Back to Examinations." She answered.

Gaara groaned inwardly.

"Oh. Have fun with that. I think I'm going to go train." Gaara said, frustrated with the fact she was not going anywhere interesting.

"You too. Behave your self. I don't want to see you in the hospital. Got it?" She scolded with a grin, knowing full well he wouldn't get hurt.

They had a mutual nod of the head, before taking off in opposite directions.

Smooth…Gaara thought, shaking his head.

_Damn it._

_It was so much easier getting her attention the first time around._

--

A/N: I know you guys are frustrated with how long you've had to wait, and I'm very sorry! It's now spring break, so I have more time to write, though I do have a few projects I have due for when I get back to school…oh joy.

Anyways, tell me what you thought.

Is Gaara ooc? I really hate reading stories where characters are like that…so if my version is, please tell me so I can fix it.

Read and review!


	4. Lovely tent

**A/N: **Baack! This is what happens when you procrastinate over Spring Break. I've just barely finished my projects when I realized I haven't had any time to write this break. So here I am, trying to fit in an update before I have to go back to school.

Thank you for all the reviews and support! I love you guys!

Euphoria

"_Over here!" His voice called out, teasing her almost._

"_Stop it! I'm tired, where are you?" Sakura complained, trudging up the hill and stepping over the tree roots._

"_Oh come on Sakura, have some fun." He called, rustling in the trees._

"_Kiba!" She whined._

"_Come and find me!" He shouted, laughing playfully._

"_No! I'm too t," She started to say but stopped as she turned the path._

"_It's…its…Kiba! It's so beautiful!" She cried out, running towards the sunlight._

"_See, if you had only found me earlier…you could have seen it at sunrise." Kiba said._

"_I was too tired to find you. That mission exhausted me. Just be glad I found you now." Sakura grumbled, staring at the boy who rested on the rock._

_A beautiful meadow stood before her, emerald green grass bathed in dew and sunlight, purple peonies all over the field, and a small river by the side of it. _

"_Where are we?" Sakura gushed, lying down, not even caring that the grass was wet. _

"_I'm not too sure. But if you look in the river, you'll see something neat." Kiba said, getting up from where he was._

"_Hnn? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, turning over and crawling over to the small river. She glanced over and at first saw her own reflection but than, almost in an instant, it changed to Kiba's._

_She grinned and turned around, expecting him to be standing behind her, but then she noticed he was on the other end of the field._

"_What?" She asked confused, glancing down again at his smiling face in the river._

"_What did you see, Sakura?" Kiba asked her._

"_You…your face is in the river." She mumbled out._

"_Sweet. I saw your face when I looked in it." Kiba said with a grin._

_Sakura smiled too._

"_It reflects our desires?" She asked him._

"_I suppose so." Kiba answered._

--

With a jolt, Sakura woke up. Her hands were clutching the sides of her bed sheets, and her hair was sticking to her face. Her heart was racing and she moaned out coarsely, in pain.

She hated being sick. She couldn't even feel the breeze from the window that she intentionally left open. How was it that she managed to catch a fever over night?

Yesterday she was perfectly healthy; she didn't even feel dizzy, which was always a sign that she would soon be sick. What was worst about this was that she'd have to force herself up to go judge the preliminaries for the exams in about two hours.

Coughing violently, she gasped for air and clutched the sheets harder, before closing her eyes once more.

--

_**Wh…where am I?**_

_**Is…is this a dream?**_

_**Where…where am I?**_

_Sakura looked around, she was in total darkness. No…no, something was soft against her feet. It was warm too…_

_She looked down and saw…sand? Tons and tons of sand surrounding her; a desert full. _

_**Wh…what is this?**_

_**Where…where am I!**_

_But then, the sand pulled at her ankles, making her scream, it hurt her throat. She was being dragged under by it. She could taste the sand down her throat, and it burned. _

_The corners of her eyes welled over, and her hands frantically went about, grabbing onto anything. She only felt more sand._

"_He…help…" She mumbled weakly, feeling more tired by the minute. She squirmed around in the sand until she felt it stop. A strong force pulled her out, letting her hack up grains of sand._

"_Thank you…" She gasped for air, on her knees and hands._

_Glancing up, she saw his face._

"…_Kiba…"_

_No…it wasn't Kiba…she squinted, the outline became clearer._

"_Gaara?" She called out._

_--_

"Sakura, Sakura get up." A voice said to her gently, shaking her shoulders. Sakura groaned and coughed before her eyes opened. It ached to look up.

"Ino…" She murmured softly.

"Come on, I'll help you up. I've picked up some medicine for you, and I've closed your window." She said smiling.

Latching an arm around the weak girl, she picked her up and carried her towards the bathroom.

"Get out of those germy clothes, take a shower and come downstairs. I'll make us some breakfast." Ino commanded. She was very maternal when it came to anyone being sick.

Why, when Naruto infected half their genin class with the flu, she was the one to take care of them.

"Hai…" Sakura mumbled, closing the door.

Ino grinned; Sakura was so funny when she was sick.

It didn't take long before Sakura made her way down the stairs.

She walked over to the kitchen and saw Ino already eating.

"Take these after you eat, forehead." Ino said with a smile.

Sakura smiled back but didn't reply as she sat down to her warm breakfast.

It was a simple meal. Omelets. She ate it silently, and took the two little pills sitting on her plate with one swallow, without the need for water.

"Let's get going?" Ino asked.

"Okay." She murmured, letting Ino help her up.

--

"She's sick? Oh no, it must be because of me! I picked up something last week." Kiba groaned, slumping in his seat at the examination building.

"Don't worry about it, Kiba, I'm sure she's going to be fine. See, she's already down there." Tenten reassured him. They weren't all that close but Kiba was the only boy that wasn't scared to talk to Tenten when Neji wasn't around.

Kiba and Tenten glanced down at the floor. The small number of genin was not surprising. Only few passed the second round. Though the sand genin were all there, looking unscathed.

Sakura stood in front of them, explaining the rules of the one on one fights to them, her voice strong, though she felt absolutely weak.

As soon as rules were explained, the first two contenders were called up.

Mizuki Outo and Ryeou Adyta. No one she really paid attention to.

She glanced up at the people sitting in chairs above the chaos and her eyes landed almost right away on the redhead.

--

"She's sick." Gaara noted, Temari and Kankurou sitting on either side of him.

"Yeah, I heard she got it from that dog kid." Temari said bored.

"Kiba?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah, him."

"Keh." Kankurou scoffed, eyes down at the fight below.

"She doesn't look too healthy. She won't be able to stop the fights, let alone heal the injured genin. Why is she judging?" Kankurou asked.

"I don't know. This village is strange." Temari remarked.

"We are at alliance with them. I wouldn't talk too loud if I were you." Gaara scolded her, eyes glancing to the other people around them.

"Since when did you care?" Temari teased.

The glare she received silenced her.

"Let's watch." Gaara said, glancing down at the battle.

One of the two boys had climbed up the side of the west wall and was running in circles, creating a hurricane like affect. The other struggled to keep his footing on the ground.

Sakura groaned slightly, covering her eyes to prevent dust from getting into them.

That's when she remembered her dream,

_**So much sand…**_

And collapsed.

"SAKURA!" Kiba shouted loudly, about to jump to fetch her. Tenten's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"She's okay." Tenten murmured.

When the dust cleared, and everyone stopped whispering, Sakura's figure was seen, clutched in the arms of a boy with Red hair. No, wrong, not a boy, a kazekage.

Kiba's fist tightened. Gaara had beaten him to it.

Soon, two medical-nins ran in, and took her from Gaara's arms. He stood up and did not say a word and returned back up to his seat.

Eyes were focused on him and whispers were flying through the air. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Tsunade smile a little before looking away.

"I'm sorry for the interruption. Our jounin is a little under the weather currently. Please continue." She commanded. This stopped the whispers.

"You guys take good care of her all right?" Ino said to the two medical-nins, who nodded in response, before stepping into the middle of the floor.

"I will be taking over. Continue your match please." She shouted. The two boys were not hesitant to begin at all.

"That was…fast." Temari decided on, commenting to her brother.

"I saw her flinch before she fell." Gaara said simply.

"From here? How?" She asked him.

"…"

"Never mind, I don't need to know." Temari said, exasperated.

"That teaches them to put a sick jounin on duty." Kankurou said with a shake of his head.

--

"She's coming around."

"Oh good!"

"Hinata, can you bring me some more towels?"

"Of course!"

Kiba, Tenten and Hinata stood crowded over the girl. They refused to let her stay by her self in the medics tent.

"Ayyy! Where is she? SAKUUURA-CHANNNN!" A loud voice called out, barging in.

"NARUTO, SHUSH, YOU'LL WAKE HER UP." Tenten yelled back, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Eh…I think you did a pretty good job too, Tenten." Kiba said as Sakura's eyes bolted open.

"Opps…sorry Sakura." Tenten said, blushing.

"Sakura! Just when I get out of the hospital, you get sick? This is so unfair." Naruto said, pouting.

"What…? Where am I?" She asked them, though her throat was feeling much better.

"In the medics tent. You passed out, Ino took over." Hinata told her gently, hand resting on Sakura's.

"Really…? Oh…how embarrassing. I must have shamed Konoha." Sakura mumbled, with a groan and hid her face with her hands.

"No, it's not like that at all. We were all concerned." Kiba said, sitting down and embracing her.

"Thanks for catching me though." Sakura said, with a smile.

"What?" Kiba asked her, blinking.

"You caught me before I fell…thanks." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I wish I could say I did…but I didn't." Kiba said.

"What? I could have sworn it was you…" Sakura replied, confused.

--

"…_Kiba…"_

_No…it wasn't Kiba…she squinted, the outline became clearer._

"_Gaara?" She called out._

_--_

Suddenly she was reminded of her dream.

"Don't tell me…Gaara?" She whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"Yes…" Kiba said, clenching his jaw. He usually wasn't possessive, but it didn't feel right…Gaara seemed to have caught her awfully fast.

"Oh…I should say thanks." Sakura said, standing up, though she was pushed down by a mob of people.

"No way, Sakura-Chan. You are sick and need to stay in bed. He can come to you if he wants thanks." Tenten said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, Sakura, you need to get your rest…" Hinata murmured softly.

Naruto attached an arm around Hinata, making the girl blush.

"Hinata is right. I can go get him for you." Naruto said with a smile.

"Oh…thank you, everyone." Sakura murmured with a laugh, as she lay back down on the bed.

Kiba smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'll come see you later."

--

"Gaara." Naruto called, leaning against the wall.

It had been an hour, and Sakura was sound asleep. Tenten and Hinata went to go help with the healing, and Kiba went off somewhere.

"Ah, Naruto, good to see you." Gaara said with a grin, not getting up from his spot; His siblings the same.

"Yeah. Sakura wants to talk to you, come with me." Naruto told him.

"Don't order the kazekage around like that, it's rude." A girl informed him, glaring.

Naruto glared back at her. She was young, maybe eleven or so.

"Who are you?"

"Yumi of the sand." The girl claimed proudly. A boy next to her scoffed at her and shook his head.

"Oy, shut up already." He said to her. The girl stuck out her tongue.

"That's Tayuki." She introduced.

"Both of you shut up." Kankurou commanded, glaring.

"Hai!" They both responded, shutting up.

Naruto blinked.

"Wow…such authority." He whistled.

"Well, they are my students after all…they had better know some respect. Say, where's Mizuki, I want to congratulate him on his win." Kankurou asked.

"He's getting his arm fixed up in the tent. I already went to check on him." The girl said.

"You did more than that…" The boy commented, making the girl gasp.

"I did not, you liar!" She glared.

"Oy, what did I tell you two…" Kankurou glared once again. The two children stopped bickering.

"I will come." Gaara said, standing up.

The two boys walked down the staircase wordless, until they were just outside the tent.

Naruto placed an arm on Gaara.

"Yes?" Gaara asked, still not used to being touched, he flinched away.

"Listen Gaara…I'm rooting for you…but Kiba's been awfully cool lately," Naruto started to say.

"Look…Naruto, I've made a mistake…and it took me too long to realize that. I'm not going to make the same mistake again." Gaara said quietly. He looked up and grinned slightly.

This caught Naruto off guard.

"…"

"Just let me talk to her." Gaara said, before walking into the tent.

--

"Your awake." Gaara commented as he sat on the edge of her bed, next to her.

"Yeah…it was good sleep…no sand." Sakura mumbled, half asleep.

"Hnn?" Gaara asked, slightly amused.

"Oh, I've just been having weird dreams lately." Sakura said, opening her eyes fully. The sight of him still took her breath away.

"I see…I heard you needed to talk to me." Gaara said, not moving an inch.

"Yeah…I wanted to thank you…" Sakura said, almost whispering. He was so close…

"It was an instinct…" Gaara said simply.

Sakura smiled. That was as close as she'd get to a 'your welcome.'

"Why did you come when you were sick?" He asked her.

She tilted her head.

"I don't know…I guess I felt it was my duty. I hate letting Tsunade-sama down, and she had given this duty to me…"

"I think she would rather you be healthy." Gaara told her.

"Hey, since when did you talk so much?" Sakura grumbled, not used to so many people telling her the same thing all day.

Gaara chuckled.

"Since I've met you."

"…"

"……"

"Ahahaha! That sounded so cheesy!" Sakura said, laughing like mad, though it hurt her to.

Gaara nodded.

"I know."

"Then why would you say it?" She asked him after she calmed down.

"I haven't heard you laugh in a while…" He said honestly, glancing up at the other empty beds.

"Yeah, there's not much to laugh about at this kind of event. It's all very serious." Sakura told him.

"Hey Gaara?" She asked shyly, reaching her hand out to clasp his. His hand was cold, not surprising.

"Yes?" Gaara asked, inhaling sharply at the contact.

"I meant what I said…thank you." She whispered, sitting up.

"And I meant what I said…"Gaara murmured in her ear; his voice sending shivers down her spine.

"Gaara…"She called out softly.

He didn't respond, he was too caught up in her eyes; those beautiful green eyes that taunted him.

"Don't…I won't ever…"

Sakura started to say, but was cut off as he moved his face closer.

"Ever…be able to…"

She continued, almost gasping it out, her eyes glazed over. He was so close now…she could touch his face…

"Forgive you if you do…"

Sakura finished.

Gaara grinned.

"I'll take my chances."

And then he kissed her.

Sakura gasped at first but almost instantly wrapped her arms around his neck. This was so different from kissing Kiba. He did not taste like fire. Now that she had kissed Gaara once more, she wouldn't be able to go back to Kiba.

No…she couldn't.

She felt his tongue begging for an entrance and she hungrily let him, feeling her own tongue dancing around in his mouth. How she missed his touch. Her hands became tangled in his hair and she pulled her body closer to him.

Gaara twisted around and set her down on the bed, his body hovering above hers. His hands ran over her back and through her hair, he had forgotten how much he loved her taste.

This was what he had been feeling for, craving for…he was in a state of…euphoria.

"Gaara…" She moaned out, hating herself for doing so.

"Mhm?" He asked back.

"You have to get off of me…" She said, starting to push him off.

"Why is that?" He asked her, trailing kisses down her neck.

"Because…I have to pee." She said, pushing him off suddenly and taking off out of the tent.

Gaara sat on the bed, shocked at first but than he grinned.

--

_**I have to leave…now.**_

_**I did something bad…**_

_**I'm so sorry Kiba…**_

_**So, so sorry.**_

_**Oh God…**_

_**Kiba.**_

Sakura gasped frantically as she reached the bathroom. Slamming the door closed, she leaned against it and slumped down. Her heart was still beating wildly.

No…she was too weak.

She had given in to him.

Why…

Why…

She couldn't deny it any longer. She had craved for him as much as he did her. She wouldn't be able to stop thinking about him now…

Now that he had crossed that line.

_**Why did I give in so easily…**_

_**I could have stopped him…**_

_**But I didn't…**_

_**Why.**_

_**Because…you didn't want him to stop.**_

**_--_**

**A/N: **Another chapter done. More fluff in it? Tell me what you think. I gotta get some sleep. Good night!

Read and review!


	5. control

**A/N: **Well I'm completely bored, I'm going to take this opportunity to write before I start having homework.

I'm going to try my best to make Gaara "Gaaraesque" as one of my reviewers described it. So here goes…

Euphoria

"Sakura…?" A voice called out, knocking gently on the door, ear pressed against the cold wood.

No response.

"Sakura-Chan? Are you in here…" Hinata murmured, hand reaching for the brass knob.

"Hinata?" Her weak voice called out, twisting around so she faced the door. She placed her hands on the door.

"Yes, it's me. Please let me in?" Hinata asked her, letting go of the knob.

"I can't…no, I can't…" She whispered, feeling her tears start up once more.

--

"What did you do to her, you bastard!" He roared, slamming Gaara against the walls. His eyes were narrowed into slits and his teeth became demon like.

Gaara glared and with one simple push, the boy was knocked into the opposite wall.

"Don't touch me, _mutt."_ He hissed, growling out the last part.

"What did you do to her!" Kiba shouted, standing up right away, panting heavily.

News had spread fast, though news was never quite accurate. By the time it got to Kiba, the only words he heard were,

Sakura. Gaara. Tent. Locked in Bathroom.

Gaara smirked slightly. The expression on Kiba's face was priceless.

"You really want to know what I did to her?" He asked him.

"I kissed her."

--

"Hinata…I did a bad thing…" Sakura sobbed, falling into her friend's arms.

She decided to let the girl in.

"Shush. It's okay. Tell me what happened." Hinata crooned, stroking the girl's hair.

Sakura couldn't form sentences; her tears ran on, seeming endless. Her hands were shaky and her eyes were red.

"He. he…I…I could have stopped it." She murmured finally, though she hadn't stopped crying.

**_Why…_**

_**I don't want to want him,**_

_**He…**_

_**I can't love him,**_

_**Not again…**_

_**I can't.**_

"I don't want to love him, Hinata. I don't! He's torturing me. I can't, can't take it…"Sakura cried out, her arms tightening against the girl.

"I know, Sakura. Please, tell me what happened." Hinata asked her softly.

"He kissed me…and it felt so good." Sakura let out, feeling her heart lift slightly once she said it out loud.

"But…it was wrong. I just don't know what to do, Hinata…I love Kiba, but…but I miss Gaara…so much it hurts." Sakura said, there was no stopping her now, once she let it out…

"Sakura, did I ever tell you how Naruto and I got together?" Hinata asked the girl in her arms.

"No…" Sakura said, sobbing still, as she wiped at her eyes.

"Before…I had always knew he loved you, and it hurt, so very much…" Hinata whispered.

Sakura stopped her sobbing and glanced at Hinata embarrassed.

"…I…I didn't know…I'm sorry, Hinata…" Sakura mumbled, hugging the girl harder.

"No, it wasn't your fault. He was just amazed by you. You were his everything…and I loved him so. But I was too shy, too shy to say anything…" She continued.

"Then, that day you sent the letter to him, he was overjoyed. He told me all about it, and I sat there listening to every word, just happy to be around him…"

Hinata smiled slightly, though her violet eyes watered.

"But in my heart I was dying,"

Sakura's face softened,

"Because I knew right then he would always love you."

--

" You bastard!" Kiba shouted, running full force toward Gaara, with his fist tightened, before releasing it in the form of a punch.

Gaara moved smoothly and watched the impact on the wall beside him.

" Just face it." Gaara grunted out, slamming his own fist into Kiba's right rib, watching the boy wince.

"**She**,"

He said, kicking at his face, though Kiba caught his foot and twisted him around.

"**Will**," Gaara continued, landing on his feet,

Kiba's face twisted in anger and he ran toward Gaara, with kunai in hand.

"**Never**," Gaara kept going on, just barely dodging the kunai, he swung his leg around in a roundhouse kick, and than gracefully did a backhand spring away from Kiba.

"**Love**," Gaara continued, raising both his arms above his head, eyes narrowing, teeth bearing, and lips curled into a smirk.

"**You.**" He hissed out, before clapping his hands together, muttering a jutsu.

Kiba screamed out in pain as he felt sand crawl around his whole body and slam him into the ground.

**_So…so much sand…where did it come from…_**

He thought, hissing in pain.

--

"He's different now, Naruto…" Sakura said, feeling a little calmer.

"I know. I believe he loves me. But, my point is…I think Kiba is feeling what I was feeling, and Sakura…don't lead him on and break his heart more. You need to decide, before things get real bad…" Hinata said firmly, hands around Sakura's face.

"SAKURA, HINATA!" A voice shouted out, interrupting them. The two looked up and heard banging on the door.

"What is it?" Hinata asked, alarmed.

"It's Gaara, he's lost control!" Tenten's voice shrieked.

This made Sakura's heart stop.

Oh no.

Scrambling to her feet, Sakura flung the door open and stared into the terrified face of Tenten.

"You have to go help, Kiba is trapped." Tenten said, but even before she could finish her sentence, Sakura had taken off.

She knew where they would be. All she had to do was follow the trail of sand.

--

"What's going on…" Kankurou demanded, feeling parts of the building shake.

"It's Gaara. He's lost control." Temari hissed, immediately recognizing the signs.

"God Damn it, Gaara!" Kankurou cursed, punching a wall. The siblings gathered their stuff and flew down the stairs.

"EVERYONE." Ino hollered, gaining the attention of the panicked people.

"Remain calm. We have capable jounin taking care of the current situation. The preliminaries will continue." She commanded.

Somehow, she had that effect that made everyone listen. Her blue eyes sparkled with determination and her long blonde hair stood dead still, her posture defensive, as if daring someone to challenge her.

Tsunade smiled. This girl was Sakura's childhood rival.

No doubt that Sakura's rival would be strong as well.

People seemed shocked but sat down anyways.

"Shizune, what is going on in that hallway?" Tsunade asked the woman beside her.

"We have reason to believe it is the Kazekage, Tsunade-sama."

"Ah. No worries then." She said, surprising the woman.

"But…"

"I'm sure it will be solved."

--

"KIBA-KUN!" Sakura shrieked in horror, her eyes letting out tears, though she could not feel them now.

Kiba was pinned into the wall, a layer of sand around him, blood was everywhere, and it was definitely not Gaara's.

Immediately she sprinted toward him, slamming her fist into the sand, breaking it only for an instant, though it was enough to pull the boy out.

"Oh God…Kiba! It's all my fault…" She cried, letting her hands fill with chakra, as she started to mend his broken bones.

"Sakura…get out of here…it's not safe." Kiba muttered out, trying to stand up.

"No. You are in no condition to fight." Sakura said, pushing him back down.

"Stay here…I'll be back, trust me." She told him, her eyes reflecting the same type of determination Ino held.

"But…"

Sakura put on her glove and looked up at the source of the chaos.

"Gaara." She muttered, seeing the boy on the opposite end of the long hall. The medics tent was shut, the people inside protected from the madness.

Gaara seemed almost in a trance. His hands glowed with a strange color, and his body was hunched over.

"Sakura…" He hissed out, almost longingly. He raised his right hand, the same pile of sand around Kiba shifting and gripping around Sakura.

She seemed not to flinch or show pain.

"Come and get me." She called out. At this he grinned and pulled his hand towards his chest, the sand flying immediately towards him, pulling her body near his.

"Sakura!" Kiba winced, steadying himself against the wall.

--

"Where are they?" Naruto growled, slamming against the door to the hallway. The building seemed to have stopped shaking but he, Tenten, Hinata, and the sand siblings couldn't find Gaara anywhere.

"This is the only hallway that we haven't checked." Tenten said.

"I can see them inside." Hinata murmured; eyes set on the door.

"Well break the damn door!" Kankurou shouted.

"It's no good. He doesn't want interruptions. There's no way we will get past this door." Temari said tiredly.

"There has to be a way! Sakura-Chan is in there, so is Kiba. We have to find a way in." Naruto growled, slamming his fist into the wood, feeling no effect.

"I have to use it…" He muttered, preparing himself.

"Are you dumb, Naruto? That jutsu will hurt all of us." Tenten shrieked, recognizing the look on his face.

This made Naruto soften his expression.

"We have to do something…"

"Let's just trust Sakura-Chan…" Hinata murmured with a smile.

--

"Stop this. Right now, Gaara. I know you're in there somewhere." Sakura commanded, now face to face with the former demon.

"I said stop it." She hissed, her eyes firm on his.

"Heh…you started all of this." Gaara spoke out; voice low and cold.

" That's why I have to stop it." Sakura muttered.

"You can't." Gaara cooed; bringing her even closer, so his hand was touching her cheek.

"I will." She said, gathering chakra into her free hand, she prepared to punch him.

"That won't hurt me." Gaara said with a laugh.

"Oh ya?" Sakura asked,

With a loud grunt, she threw her fist into his shoulder, feeling the bone crack.

Though Gaara still had a demented expression.

"See? No pain," He started to say, when he saw her out from the corner of his eye.

"What…a clone?" He hissed out.

_**Here goes…**_

_**I'm sorry Kiba.**_

Sakura thought before she launched her arms around Gaara's neck, and pressed her lips to his.

A single tear rolled out of her eyes,

_**Please forgive me, Gaara.**_

Gaara seemed shocked but than the glow faded, and the sand disappeared.

…

…..

……..

………….

……

The door flung open, Kiba stood, being held up by Sakura.

The worried faces that greeted them changed to ones of relief.

"Take him, I've healed the major injuries but he needs to be bandaged up now." Sakura instructed, handing the unconscious boy to Hinata and Tenten.

"Naruto, help me check the people in the tent." She said to him.

"…I'll leave him to you guys." Sakura said, glancing towards Temari and Kankurou, who both nodded and proceeded into the hall.

Gaara lay, also unconscious by the wall. His eyes were closed and his hands were tightened into fists.

Sakura spared one last glance towards him before she made way into the tent.

"Hey Sakura? What happened in there?" Naruto asked her, as they checked the people.

"He lost control…he told me before that it's happened before. I'm worried about him." Sakura said tiredly.

For the first time since the beginning of the exams, she looked weary. Her whole body was sore, and her eyes seemed to express how tired she really was, mentally, and physically.

"Well, whatever you did…you stopped it." Naruto said with a smile.

"Naruto…"

"I poisoned him."

This stopped the boy's actions.

"What!" He asked, eyes wide as saucers.

Sakura grabbed his hand and led him out of the tent and back outside to the hallway.

They made their way over to Gaara and the sand siblings.

"You really knocked him out…what did you use?" Kankurou asked, with a slight grin.

"It was the same poison I cured him of, that time he showed up in Konoha." Sakura explained.

Kankurou grinned,

"I remember that. So you must have stolen some from me, eh?"

"No…I remade it. I saw the ingredient list in Gaara's office before." Sakura said.

"Oh. You're pretty skilled than. That's not a easy poison to make without poisoning yourself." Kankurou praised.

"I suppose. It came in handy after all." Sakura said.

"I'm still confused, what happened?" Naruto asked, scratching the top of his head.

"…I hope he forgives me." Sakura murmured.

"He will…don't worry bout it kid, you did what any good shinobi would have done." Kankurou said.

"Can someone please explain what happened?" Naruto whined.

"I tried reasoning with him first…it was clear it wouldn't work, than I made a clone and tried to see if I could physically stop it. That didn't seem possible either. So I tried the last thing I could think of. I always carry the poison around with me…so, when it came down to it, I fed him it." Sakura said with a sigh.

It all sounded so cowardly to her, poisoning someone.

"How did you manage to feed it to him?" Naruto asked.

Temari, Kankurou and Sakura exchanged glances.

"Baka!" Temari said, hitting Naruto over the head with her fan.

"We'll take him back to our guest room. It seems you've already cured him?" Temari asked her.

"Yes, He should be waking up any moment now." Sakura said.

"Okay. We'll leave you guys here for now." Kankurou said, waving a goodbye, before he gathered Gaara over his shoulder and they disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Let's go check on Kiba-kun." Sakura said, after they left.

"…Sakura?" Naruto asked her.

"Yes?"

"Have you made a decision yet?" He asked her.

Sakura smiled.

"Yes…yes I have."

--

**A/N:** Ta-da! Oooh, cliffy. Who has she chosen?! I'm not sure if it was obvious or not, but I'm eager to hear your guesses! Please read and review!

Rest assured, there's lots of twists and turns still ahead. Aren't ya proud of me, posting two chapters in one day!

See ya later, please read and review!


	6. Food

**A/N: **Back! I have many things I want to say before I start the story…so, first of all:

I'm going to tally up the number of guesses. Winning guesses will win an award at the end of story. If you've read Red Sand, You will notice I give awards to people :)

Kiba: 3 guesses

Gaara: 2 guesses

I got a lot of 'I hope…' but I needed guesses, if it were based on those, Gaara would win by a landslide.

Also, I have comments for a few reviewers.

**Bakuras pet:** Thanks for the suggestion, I was actually thinking something along those lines but I don't have definite plans for any of the stories I write, so we will see how it goes, kay?

**Guardian de sangre:** Aw, thanks! I love your name by the way. Tres original. :)

**Freebird:** YES. Someone is proud of me!

**Gaara-Sakura.'Gaakura: **You so win longest reviews so far! Haha thanks. I aced one of my tests so I'm pretty happy.

**Supergnome:** Thanks for the support! French is a fun course.

**Timecantell:** Haha! Poor you!

If you have anything you'd like me to know, or would like to ask, just include it in your review.

Thanks to everyone whose reviewed! I was amazed at the number of reviews I've received so far. Keep at it! Love ya guys!

Euphoria

"Oh, Sakura!" Tenten let out a slight gasp as she felt someone's cold hand on her shoulder.

"You scared me there!" She said with a laugh. Sakura smiled too.

"How is he doing?" She asked the girl.

"Good. We bandaged him up real good and sent him to the medical tent. He's sleeping right now." Tenten reported, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ears.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

"How bout you? Are you feeling better?" Tenten asked her.

"Yeah. Much…thank you Tenten. I don't know what I would have done without you or Hinata today." Sakura said with a laugh.

Tenten grinned.

"Hey, us kunochi gotta stick together."

"Where's Naruto?" Tenten asked.

"Oh, he's with Hinata. I saw them finding seats." Sakura explained.

The two kunochi were standing on the ground floor, at the sidelines of the fight. Everyone seemed calmer and was once more focused on the battle that lay before them.

"I'm going to check up on Kiba, I'll see you in a bit." Sakura murmured to the girl, who gave a nod in response.

Sakura turned around and gently opened the door to the hallway she was just in. The place looked pretty torn up, though it was a lot less menacing without Gaara.

Brushing the dirt off her clothes, she walked over to the tent and pushed one of the curtains open, letting herself in. The medics looked up, about to protest, but upon recognizing the girl, they returned to their work.

Sakura walked silently past them, eyes switching from the right side of the tent to the left, looking for his familiar shape.

She eventually found him, near the end of the tent. He looked peaceful asleep, and his breathing was even.

Sitting down on the cot, she reached out to brush his hair away from his face.

"Hey Kiba…" She whispered.

"I'm sorry about all of this…I dragged you into such a horrible situation…and I caused you so much pain…" She said, stroking his hand.

"I didn't mean to…I guess it just got all too out of hand…"

"What happened between Gaara and I, I can't deny it didn't happen…and I also can't deny that I didn't stop it…"

"But I know that it was selfish of me, and crude, and I just,"

"Just…"

"Had to let you know why…"

"Why I can't be with you." She finished.

"Please trust me when I say that it was nothing you did. You made me happier when no one else could, and for that, I am grateful to you. I love you Kiba, but I also care for him, and until I figure out what I want…it would be unfair for you if I wasn't committed to this."

"I'm so sorry." She whispered once more, kissing him softly on the lips before she stood up.

Giving him one last glance, she smiled sadly and left the tent.

Kiba lay there, now breathing not so even.

_**Leave it to her to recognize I was faking.**_

_**Fuck.**_

--

Shaking slightly as she left the tent, Sakura fought the urge to break down and cry. She had actually gone through with it…

She couldn't help but feel guilty. He had been so good to her, and how did she repay him? By kissing another man and then breaking up with him.

Her bottom lip trembled and she stumbled over to the wall to steady herself. Running her hands through her hair, she closed her eyes and breathed in.

"It's going to be okay…" She whispered to herself.

Opening the door, Sakura walked toward the stairs, passing Tenten on the way, who seemed to recognize that look on her face.

Tenten quickly caught up to Sakura and linked her hand in hers by the stairs.

"Come on, we'll find seats together." She said with a smile.

"Thank you…" Sakura murmured, feeling completely weak.

The duo walked up the stairs and made way over to where their friends sat.

The mood seemed to change completely by their arrival and Hinata stood up to embrace the girl. The boys silenced, looking awkward.

"I'm fine…just, please don't look at Kiba differently. I know he would hate that." Sakura said to them.

Most smiled at her request.

"You really know him well." Hinata commented.

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, and that's why I know we are going to be okay…" Sakura added.

"So, how is Konoha doing so far?" Sakura asked.

Delighted by the change in subject, the boys began filling her in on the action.

--

"Let. Me. Go." Gaara hissed out at his siblings, tied down to a chair. The poison left him weak, though not weak enough to argue.

"Nope, you lost privilege of walking around. The council told us to watch you at all times. Sorry lil' bro." Kankurou told him.

Gaara grunted.

He couldn't believe he was tied up like that. When he regained his strength, he'd show them who was boss.

"Oh, and just to let you know…I wasn't the one to poison you." Kankurou added.

Gaara's face blanched.

What? How could that be? No one else knew how to make that poison.

After he woke up, Gaara's head was spinning. He couldn't remember what had happened before his sleep. The only thing he knew was that he lost control. His sister had told him more details, such as the fight with Kiba, and getting poisoned. Though she failed to inform him that it wasn't Kankurou who had poisoned him.

"Who was it…was it that mutt!" Gaara demanded. Had he lost that fight because of it?

"No. Someone intervened before you were about to kill the kid. _She_ poisoned you." Kankurou hinted, emphasizing on the word, 'she'.

Then, just like that, it clicked.

"WHAT!" Gaara exploded in rage. He could feel his heart speed up.

"Well, who else do you think it could have been? She was the one to cure you of it." His brother said with a snort.

"She was in the fight?" Gaara asked with hatred on every word.

"Yeah."

"Is she okay?" Gaara asked.

This threw Kankurou off.

"Uh…yeah, I think so."

Gaara couldn't believe it. He had lost control just because of one stupid mutt. Not only that, he had put Sakura's life in danger. He hated himself more then ever.

"I'm tired. Let me sleep." He finally instructed.

"Real funny, Gaara. You don't sleep." Kankurou said with a scoff.

It took him a moment to realize this fact was true. He hadn't slept since…no; he wasn't going to bring up those memories.

"Fine. Then let me lay on my fucking bed." Gaara said, impatiently.

"All right, fine." Kankurou said. He untied the ropes quickly, though replaced them with straps just as quick.

"What the hell is this?" Gaara demanded, feeling his brother strap him down to the bed.

"I'm not going to stay here and baby-sit, Gaara. I want to go watch the fights. So be a good boy and stay here."

"What if I have to use the bathroom…" Gaara argued.

"You won't."

And like that, Gaara was left alone.

--

Half an hour later, Sakura was feeling much better and was cheering on Konoha's genin with the rest of her friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kankurou.

"I'll be just a moment." She said to Hinata, before getting up and walking over to where he sat.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He responded.

Sakura sat down next to him. They weren't friends exactly, though they had gotten to know each other a lot better since her trip to Suna.

"He's fine." He told her without her having to ask.

Sakura grinned.

"Define fine." She played the word game with him.

Kankurou grinned. She was a smart one.

"He's tied down to his bed, probably peeing his pants and screaming every curse word he knows, targeted towards me. See? Fine."

This made Sakura laugh.

"He needs food." She said, and she stood up.

"Define food." Kankurou said in a similar fashion to her.

"Someone to visit him."

"Someone like you?"

"Yes"

"Then yes. He definitely needs food." Kankurou said with a nod.

"Which…?" Sakura started to say.

"A43."

"Gotcha."

Then, with a grin, Sakura left to find Gaara.

--

"FUCK! You bastard, Kankurou! When I get out of here, I'm going to skin you alive!" Gaara shouted, squirming around on the bed.

Then he heard a door click.

"KANKUROU YOU ASSHOLE, LET ME OUT. I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He screamed.

"You're going to kill your voice." Sakura's delicate voice said in a scolding manner.

This shut him up immediately.

"Sakura."

"Hi, Gaara."

Sakura closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed.

"First things first…" She murmured, leaning over his body.

Her hands untied the straps, though her eyes were focused onto his.

Pressing her lips down onto his, she felt that warmth she missed and she smiled.

"Eat." She commanded, shoving an apple in front of his face.

--

**A/N:** There! Now you know whom she picked! Not a lot of fluff in this chapter, though it's the recovery from the excitement. The next chapter will have much more. I still have some tricks up my sleeve.

Please read and review! Bye:)


	7. tears

**A/N: **Before you kill me for the tremendously long time I made you guys wait, I'd just like to say,

Thank you to all of you for your wonderful reviews and I'm so touched!

Special note to **Gaara-Sakura.'Gaakura: **I just adore reading your paragraph reviews, thank you so much for taking all that time to type that up!

And I want to thank all the people who enjoyed the love triangle so far, tee-hee; I hope it was hard for you to pick a side!

Euphoria:

Gaara turned his gaze away from the fruit in front of him to the girl before him. She held a smile on her face and her eyes were almost bubbling over with sincerity.

"It's okay. I'm fine." He answered, averting his gaze away from her. At this, Sakura flinched slightly.

"Please, just eat it." She asked softly, meanwhile she busied herself with the ropes that had him tied down.

"…Okay." Gaara said after a short pause and took it from her hands. Biting into the soft flesh of the apple, he held his eyes upon hers, almost as if looking for some reason that she was there.

"Gaara…" She started, her throat feeling drier by the second. Her heart wasn't exactly racing, and her mind was surprisingly clear, but there was still something she was nervous about…and she wasn't sure what.

"Yes, Sakura?" Gaara asked, voice sounding indifferent, as usual.

"Kiba is okay. He's resting as we speak." Sakura settled with, now lifting her head to look for a reaction on his face. She found none.

"That is good to know. I'm sorry for the trouble you've had to put up with." He said, treating her as if she were one of his business associates.

"Yeah…Tenten and Hinata are looking after him." Sakura added.

"And you…" Gaara hinted, now staring back at her.

"I, I am here…with you." She said slowly, emphasizing her last words, lips curving into a slight smile.

Gaara's grip tightened on the apple, though only a little, his hair fallen covering his eyes and that little smile that his lips started to form.

"I see." He whispered, contempt with the silence.

"How's the apple? Still fresh I hope." Sakura asked, hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Yeah. It is." He answered before setting the fruit down on the bed. Looking up, his eyes locked onto hers.

"So what are we to do now?" He asked her.

"Like before…only better." Sakura decided on with a smile.

"And why would that be?" Gaara replied.

Sakura paused a little while searching for the right words to say what she felt. She knew she had already decided on her answer, and that she wouldn't regret it…but how was she going to tell him.

"Because, I am willing to…" Sakura started to say.

"Willing to…" Gaara pushed, his breath hitched a little as he said the words.

"Le," Sakura began to say but was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Huh?" She asked, turning her attention to the door.

"Hope I didn't interrupt anything." Temari's voice was heard as she walked in.

"Yes, you did so if you could just leave now," Gaara started to command but found he was also cut off by the stern look on Temari's face.

"I am to bring you to the board of directors. There will be no hesitation." She hissed out, eyes hardening on her brother.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, now worried for the boy sitting up in his bed.

"I'm sorry Sakura-Chan, this is classified information that I cannot give." Temari said with a curt bow.

Without protest, Gaara swung his legs over the side of the bed and with one last long gaze at Sakura; he walked toward Temari.

"I understand." Sakura murmured, hearing the door close behind them.

Her heart raced. What could they be talking about? Did it have to do with Gaara's outburst? Was he in trouble?

She played with the fabric of her shirt for a while before finally standing up. Turning the cold knob, she left the room and walked down the hall to the stairs.

That was when she heard murmurs coming from a door near the end of the hall.

Walking towards the source, she heard a man's voice, though it was muffled.

"We…no…way. You…now…to…Suna…must…by…have…found…Sorry."

She strained to hear the complete speech but found she could not. Glaring at the door she heard sudden movements toward the door.

Backing up, she hid behind the corner as she saw a figure rush by her. A flash of red hair surprised her and she immediately knew who it was.

When she was sure it was safe to come out of hiding, she took a few steps and that's when she saw it.

Bending down, she saw small drops of water on the floor, salt water. No…not water, tears.

What could it be that made the invincible weak, break down the defense system that no one else could?

"Gaara…" She murmured, feeling her own heart ache for him.

Sakura left the building shortly after and returned to the main building. The preliminaries were over. Three Konoha students made it to the finals, and Kankurou's students did as well. There were a few others from the villages. Maybe as many as ten in total.

As the event was over for the day, Sakura left the main building tiredly, wishing she was back in her house, in her comfy bed and asleep, not having any worries.

--

The next morning came easily for Sakura, woken up by her alarm; she started her routine to get ready, briefly forgetting what she witnessed in the hallway yesterday.

Grabbing her bag, she locked up her house and headed out to do her daily rounds at the hospital. By the time that was finished, it was well into the afternoon.

"Sakura!" A voice called towards the girl sitting on the bench in the park.

Glancing up, Sakura smiled and waved the voice over.

"Ino!"

"Shouldn't you be working?" Sakura asked her teasingly.

"Same to you, my friend." Ino said with her tongue stuck out. Sitting down, the blonde sighed.

"I'm glad they gave the duty to someone else today. My voice kills. Why aren't you over there, aren't you an examiner?" Ino asked her.

"Yeah…I really should get going, but I'm so tired. I just returned from the hospital." Sakura whined.

"The hospital? That means…have you visited Kiba today?" Ino asked her.

Hearing the name, Sakura felt guilt serge through her body.

"No…not yet. How is he doing?"

"Better. You should visit him when you have the time." Ino noted.

"Yeah, I will. But as you said, I really should get going. Bye Ino!" Sakura said with a smile, before taking off towards the examination building.

Ino shook her head.

_**I hope you picked the right one, Sakura.**_

--

"Sakura! Where have you been! The final exam will start in an hour! How could you be so late?"

Tsunade yelled, glaring at the pink haired girl who walked in the doors.

With a sweat drop, Sakura laughed nervously.

"Hahaha…we still have plenty of time…I was just making my rounds at the hospital." She replied with a hopeful smile.

Rubbing her temples, Tsunade pointed toward the door and without looking up, she sighed.

"Go to work. Now."

"Yes!" Sakura said with a bow, before rushing out the door. Once on the other side, she let out a sigh of relief.

She made her way over to the floor, where the other examiners were. The rules were explained once more and the duties were handed out. Sakura wouldn't be on shift for another hour. With this new knowledge, she headed back to the hospital.

"Let's see…Tenten said he should be in…this room!" Sakura said with a smile. It was handy working at the hospital, knowing where everything was that is.

Opening the door lightly, she was surprised to see someone already in the room.

"Oh hello," Sakura said with a smile, at the nurse who was helping feed Kiba.

The girl turned around and beamed a bright smile at Sakura; one that threw her face into shock.

It wasn't that she was beautiful or anything like that, but the happiness that shone through was surprising. It reminded her of when she first started to work at the hospital.

"Hi, I'm new…your Sakura-Chan?" The girl asked, voice soft.

"Yes…I'm just here to visit Kiba-kun, shall I come back another time?" Sakura asked her.

"Oh not at all. He's just eating. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard stories about you from all the other nurses." She said with a giggle.

Sakura blushed and walked in closer, sitting down beside the bed. The first time she had seen Kiba since she broke it off.

He looked hurt, not physically.

"Kiba…" Sakura whispered, reaching for his hand. He moved it away and glanced down at the soup on the tray.

"Rika, I'm full…" He mumbled to the girl. Nodding, the nurse tucked strands of long ebony locks behind her ears and she took the tray off his lap.

"All right. I'll be back to check on you in an hour or so, have a nice visit." She said, leaving the room, giving them privacy.

"I'm sorry." Sakura said, feeling her throat tighten. Why did he have to look so sad…so lonely.

"I know. I just…Sakura, I want to stay friends with you, but I need time to recover, because right now, I'm still in love with you." He whispered, looking up at her with tears in his eyes.

"Kiba…" She croaked out, feeling her own eyes water. How she wanted to hug him and comfort him, but she knew she couldn't.

"Please…I'll talk to you when I'm ready. I need sleep." He said, wiping at his eyes.

"All right…please get better soon." She whispered before standing up. As she stumbled toward the door, she wiped at the corners of her eyes, trying to conceal the puffy redness.

--

Making it back to the building with fifteen minutes to spare, Sakura went to the bathroom to check on her appearance. The redness had decreased and her eyes were no longer puffy, so it just seemed as if she was really tired.

As she left, she saw Gaara sitting in the stands. That was when it came back to her.

"Gaara…" She murmured, before walking over and sitting next to him.

"You cried." He said immediately, not looking up.

"Yeah." She added, hugging her knees.

"Why." He asked.

"Not important…"

"You want to know what the meeting was about." Gaara stated.

"Yes."

At this, Gaara seemed to tense up, and he looked down at his lap.

"They told me something." Gaara started to say.

"I…I overheard some of it, but not enough to put an idea in my mind." Sakura decided to confess.

"What did you hear?" Gaara asked.

"Uhm, something about you and Suna. That's all I got."

"Sakura…" He said, in such a pained voice Sakura thought she'd cry all over again.

"They are making me…"

Sakura tensed as well.

"What is it, Gaara?"

The next thing he said, made her numb. Sakura felt as if the air was knocked out of her lungs and she sat there, dumbfounded, and all she could do to comfort him was to hold his hand.

"When we return to Suna after the exams…"

"I will no longer be a kazekage."

--

**A/N:** Dun dun dun!

Am I serious?

Yes. This is where I'm ending the chapter.

Did I ever tell you I just ADORE cliffhangers?

Haha, will I really take Gaara's title away?

Is there another solution?

Will Kiba ever get over Sakura?

Can Sakura go through a chapter without crying?

All answers will be answered soon, please read and review! I know I'm not very consistent with my updating schedule but I'm going to try my best.

Much love! Don't kill me for the cliffhanger. I know its awfully short.

Ja ne! R&R!


	8. Shinobi

**A/N:** Oh God, It feels like it's been a year since I've updated, eh? Sorry about all this. I've been lazy and neglecting this story due to the excessive studying.

I had my exams this week. Just got back my report, straight A's babyyyy. Fun fun. On another note, My birthday has just passed. I am now officially 15.

Anyways, I'll quit my blabbing now and continue.

**Euphoria**

The room was a dead still, the two people in it in a state of disrepair. One was sitting down on the bed, holding the other one's hand, while the other's head was drooped low, desert red hair blocking his view of the world.

"Are you certain?" The girl finally asked. In response, the boy nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Positive. Actually…I've got a bit of a trial period. But it won't last long." Gaara added.

At this, Sakura smiled.

"Hey there's always something you can do. Prove to them that you can do it. Prove to them how much you want it. Show them that you deserve it." She urged, squeezing his hand softly.

Looking up, Gaara stared at her and shook his head.

"No…I've lost control. I don't even know what it is." He whispered.

Sakura paused as well, she hadn't actually thought about why he lost control. The one tail had already been extracted from him, so what was it that had happened?

"Yeah…that is strange. I wonder what happened." Sakura mumbled to herself.

"Still…don't give up so easily. That's not like you." She encouraged. Gaara gave her a pained look.

"I will try." He said with a slight smile, before he stood up.

"Let's go visit my brother, yeah?" He asked her, with a laugh.

Sakura softened. She knew he was hiding his discomfort. She nodded carefully and stood up too, following him to the door.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" She asked him, watching him struggle slightly with maintaining balance.

"Yes. I'm positive." He growled out, as if having an argument with him self. Sakura nodded slowly.

"All right." She said before making her way out the door before he did. Being patient, she waited for him to catch up as they made way to the tournament building.

"You can go ahead. I don't mind." Gaara suggested, noticing the slower pace Sakura was moving at.

"No. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for me." She said with a smile, walking beside him.

Looking stunned, Gaara grinned slightly. "Whatever you say…" He chuckled, as he walked tiredly.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back?" She asked him, noticing his half open eyelids.

"Yeah. I think my body is just a little tired still. I'll get better if I move around." He suggested.

Sakura nodded and glanced down the street. "We're almost there anyways. You'll get to see your students in action. They are very good."

Gaara smirked. "Of course they are."

At this, Sakura laughed. It was good to see him return to normal.

Finally, as they approached the building, Sakura opened the door for the two and they made way into the busy stands, being greeted by their friends.

"Gaara, you're looking a little green." Kankurou snickered. Gaara growled but made no movement.

"Come watch the show." He offered, pushing Gaara over to the seats. Sitting down, the young man's eyes shifted to the battle before him.

"This is the last match of the day. Our Yumi against Seiko of the mist." Kankurou explained as his eyes shifted from the girl to the boy.

"She's strong…but her strength is dependent on teamwork. I've never actually seen her individual spars before…" Gaara said, more to him self really.

--

Down below, the girl panted heavily.

"I've done my research. You, although are very knowledgeable, depend on your teammates to pull you through." Seiko taunted, as he took a step to the right.

Tightening her fists, Yumi shouted back,

"You don't know anything! If I am that useless on my own, why did you find the need to research me?" She hissed.

Seiko grinned as he grinded his foot into the ground,

"Oh but my dear, I wanted to know everything about you…" He purred.

Disgusted by this, Yumi advanced with a howl, throwing shuriken left, right, and center.

Dodging easily, the boy retaliated with his own string of weapons, Yumi able to dodge most of them.

"See you are a thinker. You come up with the plans and strategies. But that is where it ends. You depend on your teammates to carry out these plans, since you cannot." Seiko called out, causing the girl to growl out in anger.

Tears were slowly building up at the corners of her eyes. She hissed out in anger.

"I am able." She said softly.

"I. Am. Able." She said through gritted teeth before charging at the boy head on. Winding up her fist, she threw it fast and hard, missing the boy's face but getting his shoulder.

Hearing the satisfying crack of his shoulder she grinned before throwing her foot for a kick. Surprise hit her as he blocked it easily.

"See how you left yourself open? This is child's play." The boy taunted, before twisting her foot sharply.

Screaming in pain, she flew backwards.

--

Meanwhile, Gaara had his hands tightened on his kneecaps, and Sakura was watching intently. Something about that boy's words hit her hard.

"Get up…" She said softly.

--

Yumi panted heavily, as she sat up, standing on her weak ankle.

"You don't know a thing about me…don't act as if you do." She hissed out, standing up.

Moving her hands quickly and muttering a quick jutsu, she disappeared and re-appeared so fast that Seiko did not have time to react.

Landing her fists into his face, she did a simply backhand spring out before she opened her left hand palms down, a trail of soft white powder falling out.

She smirked and closed her hand, as the trail seemed to ignite on flames.

Seiko screamed in pain, the soft powder was all over his skin, seeming to burn off his flesh. This continued for about a minute before he grinned and smirked.

Yumi looked alarmed. Muttering a jutsu, everything disappeared.

"Nice genjutsu. Almost had me going for a while there." He complimented.

"Now, it's time to get down to business…" He hissed, before making his own attack.

Yumi stared in shock as the blur of a boy approached her, kunai taking stabs at her skin.

Blocking the cuts with her arms, She growled as she waited…saw the opening, and with a sickening sound, grabbed the kunai with her right hand, blood oozing slowly down her arm.

Yumi panted heavily but kept going. Pulling the kunai out of his grasp, she turned it around and aimed for his left shoulder, which she pierced quite easily. What she didn't expect however was for the boy to turn into a poof of air.

"What!" She cursed, before feeling a gust of wind, whipping her head around; Yumi saw the boy's lips curl into a smile before he knocked her out.

"Match goes to Seiko of the mist." The announcer called.

--

"Damn it!" Kankurou cursed. Gaara was silent, though his jaw was tight.

"She's the first to lose! Both my other students passed." Kankurou said with a sigh.

Sakura turned around, hair covering her eyes.

"She tried her best. You must not discourage her."

"She's better than that kid, I know it. I've seen her on her missions. She's stronger than this. She didn't give it her all." Kankurou complained.

"Yes she did. Sometimes, teachers are too blind by the exceptional to notice the ordinary trying their best. I think you should rethink your approach." Sakura hissed, now looking up, eyes glossy.

It was in that precise moment that Yumi's genjutsu did not work that it occurred to Sakura why she wanted her to win so much.

She reminded her of her self. Once that was clear, Sakura needed for her to win.

"You should be glad your student is not dead." A man said with a smirk.

"My Seiko was always weak on women. I should really correct that." He grinned before leaving the stands.

As he said this, Sakura tightened her fists. As he passed her, she stuck out her hand.

With a simple shove, the man lost his balance and almost fell over. He looked up in surprise.

"You won't dare _ever_ say such comments around me again." She hissed.

The man simply laughed, stood up and walked down the stairs.

Gaara looked up at Sakura and closed his eyes.

"Although I understand how you relate to her, you are also blind of knowledge. Look at it from Kankurou's point of view. He is her teacher. He knows best what she is capable of, and if he says she can do better, she can."

Sakura glared at him.

"You don't understand how she feels."

Gaara nodded,

"Regardless, she did not try her best. If you are so sure that we are mistreating her, talk to her."

Sakura huffed and crossed her arms.

"Maybe I will."

--

"Hi…I know you don't know me but," Sakura started to say. She had made her way into the medic's tent in a matter of minutes.

The girl looked at Sakura and sighed.

"Haruno Sakura, current apprentice to the Hokage of Konoha. Currently a Jounin rank; Exceeds in medicine and has an exceptional physical strength. Part of team 7 which consisted of Uzimaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura stood in shock.

"…Okay, so you do know me…" She said with a slight laugh.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Sakura asked with a soft smile,

"But did you know I was the weakest on my team?"

"…Well actually, yes."

"……"

Sakura's vein stretched slightly and she glared evilly down at the girl.

"What a rude thing to say…and HOW pray tell would you know that?"

Sakura asked through gritted teeth.

Yumi seemed to be amused by this,

"Because, you had two amazing teammates. You were not born with any special skill, so logic would point you to be the weakest."

Sakura hissed but looked up with a sad smile.

" You are a very smart little girl."

"Only 8 years younger than you." Yumi said with a nod.

"So then you must know why I am here to talk to you." Sakura asked.

"Sort of. I have an idea. You think I need some encouragement or sympathy or something like that, yes? Since I am the only female on my team, I must not get a lot of that." Yumi suggested.

Sakura laughed.

"Perceptive… I guess something along those lines. Kankurou tells me he thinks you did not try your best. So I'd like you to answer me honestly…did you? Because I understand it might be hard to admit you did your best in a situation like this."

"Honestly? No. I did not." Yumi answered simply, looking down at her hands.

Sakura looked surprised.

"What? You…held back? Why?" She asked her.

Yumi looked up sadly.

"You wouldn't understand…" Yumi started.

Sakura's face blanched, "Try? I'm good at listening."

A long silence passed through the room,

"I can't…I won't disobey him." Yumi finally uttered out.

Sakura looked alarmed.

"Who…who won't you disobey?" She asked gently.

Yumi looked up; she was smiling. This was when Sakura realized they had more in common than she thought.

"Oh no…"

--

"Tayuki…go get ready for the finals. We are counting on you." Kankurou said, rubbing the kid's hair. Tayuki frowned at this and moved out of his reach.

Gaara nodded as well in the kid's direction before the boy made way down into the stadium. There were only 6 finalists and pressure was high.

--

_"Tayuki! I got you something for today." Yumi said excitedly, showing him the pack of medicine she bought._

"_Shouldn't you use that for yourself?" He asked her, with a slight grin. _

"_Why? Are you saying I need it more?" She asked him giggling._

_Tayuki's smile went away. _

"_Yes."_

_Yumi stopped her laughing and looked hurt._

"…_What?" She asked quietly._

"_Look. Let's look at the facts. You are the weakest member on our team. However, we cannot afford to lose you, so in today's fight, stop before any serious damage is done. Got it?" He asked her, holding her shoulders._

"_Tayuki…I'm just as capable." She said, voice laced with hurt and on edge of breakdown._

"_You may be when you are with us, but you are not strong when it comes to one on one. Leave that to us. You don't have to get to finals. Now as future leader of this team, I am ordering you. Stop before anything serious." He commanded._

_Yumi looked up and bit her lip to prevent her from sobbing._

"_Yes."_

--

"Yumi, he has no right to say that…he cannot call you weak. You train just as hard as he. I…" Sakura blurted out immediately.

Yumi shook her head.

"I am weak. Everyone sees it. I try my best when I am with my team. During one-on-one's, I lose my nerve. Today, even if he had not ordered me to stop, I would have anyways."

"That is not how a shinobi acts." Sakura hissed at the girl.

"As a shinobi, you do whatever it takes to get the job done. You can't let anyone or any fear stop you." She said.

" You don't get it!" Yumi cried out, wiping at the corners of her eyes.

"What…you don't think I understand _that_ fear?" Sakura hissed out, feeling a lump in her throat.

"You aren't scared of dying. I'm talking about the other type of fear." Sakura continued.

"Even if he were never to talk to you again, never call your name, even glance in your direction…you have to keep going…because,"

Sakura scolded, feeling her own voice choke up as memories of Sasuke resurfaced.

"You have to live on…" She finished, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.

Yumi sat there, trembling slightly but she did not say anything.

"This is the curse of falling in love with a shinobi. This is why many girls do not choose this path. But since we have chosen this, we must hold our heads high and do our best." Sakura said to her and smiled.

Wiping at Yumi's eyes with her thumbs, Sakura placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"I hope you understand." She murmured, before she got up and left.

--

"This year, we have three passing Chunin. I congratulate them on their well deserved ranks." Tsunade announced to audience.

Sakura returned to the stands and sat down quietly in between the two sand brothers.

"Did you talk to her?" Kankurou asked.

Sakura nodded and smiled, "Yeah."

"Well?" He asked her.

"It was just like you said. She didn't try her best." Sakura said,

"But her battle was fantastic." Sakura added with a laugh.

Gaara exchanged a look with her and the two smiled at each other.

"Tayuki passed. Bright kid. He's gone to visit the girl." Kankurou told Sakura.

"Ah. Good."

--

"Tayuki! Are you okay?" Yumi asked the minute she saw the boy walk over.

He nodded gingerly and sat down on her bedside. Glancing at her swollen ankle, he smiled.

"I'm glad you listened," He began to say.

"I need to tell you something." Yumi interrupted.

"Yes?"

"If I am the weakest member on this team, I'll train to become better. However, It is in no one's position to call me weak. Do you understand that?" She asked him.

Tayuki nodded.

"Yeah…yeah I do. I came to talk to you about that," He started to say, before he blushed slightly.

"Before, when I said we couldn't afford to lose you, I meant me. I don't want you to get hurt."

Yumi looked shocked and turned ten shades of pink.

"I'll respect your wishes, so you will have to train hard, because like I said…I can't afford to lose you. Got that?" He asked her with a smile.

"…Yes." Yumi whispered, looking down, a smile on her face.

--

**A/N:** Okayyy! Return of the mysterious disappearing Author. I know I had way too much filler fluff going on but honestly, how was it?

Too cheesy? Young love sweet? Anyone else notice I never even once mentioned the name of the 3rd member of Suna's little super team?

I don't even think I mentioned him once…

Oh well. I would like to just say thank you to ALL of you guys, I never thought something I started just to interest me would turn into something like this. I can't believe what great fans I have! Thank you for being so supportive about everything, even my crazy updating schedule.

Keep reading, Euphoria's back on schedule! I've got a new idea in mind after this is over so I'm looking forward to seeing you all there. Anyways, read and review! D


	9. temptation

**A/N:** Hello hello! Sorry bout the wait. If it isn't one thing, it's another. Haha. I got distracted by Hairspray, (which is fabulous, love Seaweed, and you all should watch it) and the new Harry Potter book (I won't give it away to those who haven't read it, but again, Loved it, cept the ending.)

Anyways, enough of my insane blabbing, okay here's the update.

Euphoria 

The next few days passed exceptionally quick, and Sakura found her self busy with mundane tasks and taking care of the patients at the hospital. Although Sakura never failed to complete these tasks, her mind was drifting far beyond her current duties. Gaara would be on his way back to Suna, though she wasn't upset at all.

She would be joining him soon, seeing as Tsunade was invited to Suna for a festival of their own. This time of year brought about kazekage day. She smiled slightly at the memory of last year's celebration. Albeit she wasn't exactly pleased at the time, it still

brought a warm feeling, reminiscing about the past.

"Sometimes, I wonder about you." A voice brought Sakura back down to earth.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked, snapping out of her daze and gazing at the girl who spoke to her with a sigh.

"Sakura, you're leaving in like less then 24 hours. Can't you at least do your job without that goofy smile? You're scaring the little kids." Rika scolded.

Sakura giggled. Rika had become a friend ever since she started taking care of Kiba at the hospital.

"Fine. How's Kiba doing?" She asked her. Rika smiled and grabbed her clipboard.

Passing his sheet to Sakura, she put her hands on her hips.

"His blood levels are stabilizing, and he seems much better than a couple of days ago. The physio is coming along slowly. The right leg muscles are torn, so we have to be careful not to push too hard. But other than that, I'd say I took pretty good care of him."

Sakura nodded and laughed.

"I'll say you are. He put smiley faces on his confidential report to the Head Nurse."

This was something the hospital decided to come up with, since all the patients often had no one to complain to about poor service, though this was rare, they assigned the Head Nurse, Sakura, a special job. On each record sheet, the patient was allowed to comment back on the service they were receiving.

Rika turned her head amused.

"Well then, I must really be fantastic. Watch out Haruno, I'm making my way up!"

At her joke, Rika found Sakura wasn't laughing but instead frowning at the paper.

"What's wrong?" Rika asked.

"…Rika, be honest with me. Do you like him? Kiba." Sakura asked all of a sudden, tearing her eyes away from the paper.

Blushing, the girl's eyes widened. "…Wh..what?! No…well as a friend, why you ask?" She replied.

"Because his comments…he just got over a heartbreak Rika. I think you know that. I don't want him hurt again. I think he really likes you." Sakura said exasperated, throwing the comment sheet to Rika.

Eyes scanning the lines, Rika's jaw dropped slightly.

"Sakura…this doesn't mean anything. He's just being sweet. Probably trying to get me a good review."

Sakura took the paper back and read,

"Exceptional service. Always friendly and not bad to look at. Insert smiley face. Very attentive and cheers me up. Goes out of her way to make sure I am happy. I wish I could only do the same for her. Kind hearted and by far the best nurse in the whole hospital. More smiley faces."

Sakura was a bit ticked off at the best nurse part, come on, he had obviously forgotten about her working in the hospital.

Rika's hands clutched around the clipboard she was holding before she left the room.

Sakura frowned. What was wrong?

After her day was done, she cleaned up the examination room and started towards the exit, when she passed by Rika in the hallway.

"Hey, Rika! I'm leaving now. I'll talk to you when I get back okay?" She said with a smile.

Rika looked up, eyes brimming with tears.

"No! I don't want to talk to you." She choked out, pushing her way past Sakura.

Shocked, Sakura followed her.

"What's wrong? Oh Rika what did I do?" She asked her.

Rika turned around and shouted,

"Sakura! I didn't want to hear about Kiba today. You don't understand! I don't want to hear that he likes me. I'm engaged SAKURA. Don't…just, please don't distract me." She ended up in a whimper.

Color drained out of Sakura's face.

"…Engaged?!?" She stuttered.

"…My family decided it a month ago. There's nothing I can do. So please, just leave me alone." Rika whispered, before continuing to walk away.

It seemed like hours before she finally started to move. Sakura opened the door and walked out into the streaming sunshine.

How could Rika not tell her? Frowning, she made way back to her apartment to grab her bag.

Oh great, more problems to solve when I get back 

She thought with a sigh, before opening the door to her apartment. Making way to her bedroom, she picked up her packed bag and locked up once more.

For now, she needed to concentrate on this Gaara deal.

--

Days later, Sakura woke up on a less than comfortable bed in the Kazekage building, not used to this room. Her previous home, which had been given to Tsunade, was by far, better.

Groaning as she woke, she stretched with a yawn and got out of bed. Excited by the fact she could finally see Gaara, she ran over to her small bathroom and jumped in the shower.

By the time Sakura was done getting ready, the sun was in the middle of the sky, and the streets below were filled with noises of people and children.

Leaving, she walked up the spiral staircase until she reached the top floor, where she and Gaara agreed to meet on the roof.

Opening the door, she was greeted by a pair of arms around her waist and a twirl.

With a loud laugh, Sakura wrapped her own arms around the boy's neck.

"Hello." He said with a smirk and she just laughed in response.

"Missed me, I'm guessing?" Sakura asked. He nodded with a laugh of his own.

The two sat down on the edge of the roof, gazing at the town below.

"So…has the council made any more decisions?"

Gaara thought over it,

His hands drummed the sides of his pants and he sighed.

"Yeah."

Sakura tensed,

"And…"

"They are going…to do some tests." Gaara said slowly.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"What type of tests?" She asked.

"Well, good news is, they will give me a second chance. If I pass these tests, I will still be Kazekage."

"That's great, Gaara!" Sakura said with a smile.

"I'm sure you will do brilliant." She reassured.

Gaara laughed slightly.

"Not that kind of test…" He said gently, patiently waiting for her to figure it out.

Sakura's brain set off warning bells.

"Physical tests? But that's absurd! It cou-," She began to say and her eyes widened.

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE TAKING BEHAVIOR TESTS?! LIKE THE ONES ON TV, WHERE THEY LIKE MENTALLY TORTURE PEOPLE?" Sakura shouted.

Gaara frowned.

"Sakura, you're a medic Nin. You should know better."

Blushing, Sakura made a small "o" shape with her mouth.

"…That shouldn't be too bad, Gaara. It's all just a bunch of logic questions. You'll be fine. Things like, you see a child running down the street chasing a ball while a car is approaching, what do you do?"

Gaara smiled. He pulled her closer to him and did not say anything.

Sakura frowned, why wasn't he talking to her? However, being in his arms softened her expression and she clasped his hand in hers.

Sitting in the peace, she felt relaxed and at home, it almost made her forget her troubles…almost.

"So, Kiba has a thing for my friend who works at the hospital." She said.

Gaara laughed, his chest rumbling beneath her.

"Yes, and…?"

"Well, she's kind of engaged." Sakura explained with a frown.

"So?" Gaara asked.

"So? So he can't like her! It's all very troubling." Sakura pouted.

"Not really. I see no problem. Does she like him?"

"Well yeah, but obviously she can't tell him that, with her marriage in mind at all."

"Why should she marry someone she doesn't love? That's what's troubling."

"Since when did you become Mr.Noble?"

"Since I met you."

"…"

"I tried. Come on, give me points for effort."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. So cheesy!"

"You love me anyways."

The playful banter went on for another hour or so before the two realized they both had things they needed to do.

"I'll see you same time tomorrow?" Sakura asked. Gaara nodded and kissed her lightly.

"Yes." He responded before leaving down the stairs. Sakura took the other route and jumped across the roofs to find the local hospital. She was going to say hi to a few acquaintances she made in Suna.

--

At the end of the day, Sakura's lids were heavy with fatigue and she stiffened a yawn as she made her way up the stairs to her floor. On the way, she heard muffled talking in the room next door.

"Well yes, but he is our Kazekage. What will happen if he is hurt?" One man asked.

"He won't. These procedures are very easy to handle."

"But it's Gaara. Experiments should be especially careful around him." The first man argued.

"It will be fine."

Too tired to make sense of this, Sakura went straight to bed and slept.

The next morning, she met Gaara as usual, and the two sat down on their favorite spot.

"I'm beginning to think we are having an affair." Sakura said with a smile.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"Well, we keep meeting in secret. It's kind of pointless really. We are allowed to be with each other."

"You ruin the fun. This is more exciting."

"How so?"

"The sense that you are doing something you shouldn't is thrilling, don't you agree?"

"Well yes, but we are allowed to see each other, so it kind of defeats he purpose."

"…Just shut up and enjoy the fucking moment."

Sakura smiled and kissed his lips softly. Gaara grinned and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her down.

A soft moan came out of Gaara as she arched her back against the ground, rubbing up against his clothes.

Her hands were tangled in his hair, as he pulled her up and into his lap.

"Gaara…" She whispered.

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

"…"

"I'm serious!"

"You talk too much."

His lips covered hers before she could fight back and the two melted together.

--

These meetings continued everyday, until one day, he didn't show up.

She stomped around for an hour on the roof and finally the door flung open. Turning around to unleash her fury upon the man, she was surprised to find Tsunade instead.

"Tsunade-sama." She said with a bow.

Tsunade smiled and walked over to Sakura.

"What are you doing up here?" She asked Sakura, who blushed and mumbled around for an excuse.

Tsunade shook her head.

"Sakura, it's okay. I know. I think everyone does."

"Oh. I told him it wasn't worth hiding it." Sakura said with a sigh.

"Ah but it made him happy." Sakura changed her mind.

"What about you, what brings you up here?" Sakura asked her blonde mentor.

"Well…I'm actually here to tell you where Gaara is."

"…" Something in her heart jumped. She had a bad feeling about this.

"He's doing his tests today." Tsunade explained.

Sakura frowned, _why hadn't he told me?_

"That's fine…right?" Sakura asked with a dry throat.

"We are both medics. Sakura I think you should understand the kind of tests they are doing."

"I know. He told me. Behavior tests."

"No. Not exactly. They are testing him for any mental conditions he might have."

"…But those should be fine…right?" Sakura urged softly, feeling time slowing.

"Usually, yes. Gaara is a special case. He was like Naruto, before it was removed. They must be careful not to unleash the same thing that possessed him in Konoha. It's not a monster per say, but I've spoken to the council members. They think Gaara may have an alternate personality."

Sakura's heart tightened.

"But that doesn't make sense! He shows no signs of that! Tsunade-sama! I've studied that! Gaara is fine!" She started to argue rapidly.

Holding a hand up, Tsunade stopped her.

"I know Sakura. This is for the good of Suna. It's just a procedure, he has to be stable mentally and physically if he is to be Kazekage. Which is why I'm here."

"I thought it was because of the festival…" Sakura murmured.

"That is the cover. With my medical abilities, I will be conducting the final test. I brought you to assist me."

Sakura's heart beat faster yet.

"But…will Gaara be okay during this?' She asked the one question she needed to know.

Tsunade looked up at her student and smiled slightly before turning to leave.

Opening the door, she said one last thing before walking down the stairs.

"Do not get emotionally attached during any mission."

--

**A/N:** Oh no! Will Gaara be okay? Don't worry; cliffhangers will all be gone soon. Anyways, just a heads up about the plan for Euphoria.

I'm thinking of having maybe 12 to 14 chapters so it will be shorter then Red Sand. However, these chapters will be intense, I hope. Haha,

Thanks for all your support, remember to read and review!


	10. sedation

**A/N: **Ah, Why so late? I don't have any excuses to offer. I shall just say that it's the last weeks of summer; I have a social life, and a job to maintain. However, I have been neglecting updating like crazy on this story so I really do apologize.

Euphoria

Nervously, Sakura held her hands tightly in her lap; heart beat speeding up by the minute. Her stomach had a hollow feeling and her face was twisted up in a worried expression. After the discussion with Tsunade, she felt less than reassured.

It was the waiting that really killed her. She would be assisting Tsunade, however, not for several more hours. She needed to find something to fill that gap and she settled on going home and reading a nice book, though that didn't work out as planned.

She was currently in a mess, sitting stiffly in her kitchen chair, staring at the unprepared ingredients upon the table. She couldn't think about anything else and felt a sickening torture in her chest. It was as if she could feel his pain. God pray he wasn't feeling any.

A knock interrupted her worrying and she shifted her weight before standing up rigidly. Touching the cold knob, she pulled gently and swung it open.

"Good afternoon, Miss Haruno. The first interrogation has gone smoothly. We require some assistance in making some serums, would you mind coming with me?" A man asked her with a smile.

He was dressed in the standard medic-nin uniform and looked like he had just worked a midnight shift, though his attempt to reassure her was very sweet.

Sakura smiled and nodded slightly, before gathering her stuff. Putting the ingredients back in the fridge and their respected areas, she locked up and followed the man out of the building.

_**Serums…what on earth are they injecting into him?**_

Her mind struggled with the endless possibilities and she put a hand on her stomach to reassure herself.

"Miss Haruno, are you all right?" He asked her, pausing in his steps. She looked up and beamed a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry. Let's keep going."

He nodded and the two set about a silent walk toward the hospital. Sakura flashed polite greetings and smiles to people she recognized on the streets but she couldn't shake off the worry that was engulfing her insides.

When the dot of a building began to enlarge, Sakura felt her body tense up. Walking with almost forced steps, Her body made its way into the white building.

"This way." The man led, turning within the maze of hallways, up the stairs, and to an isolated room in a lone hall.

Sakura could smell the fumes of chemicals and herbs as she neared the door and held back the urge to puke. The man grabbed a mask from off the hook by the door and held it to her.

Her medic instincts were sending off alarm bells. If what they were making required them to wear masks, would it be safe to inject into someone's body?

Taking it with shaky hands, Sakura allowed the man to enter first, before closing the door behind her.

The room was pure white, with several lights on the walls and ceiling. The whole area screamed of "sterile". Seeing several others already busily working, she snapped into focus.

"So what are you making?" She asked the man beside her.

"Here is the list of serums we've already applied to the body. Using this, we can tell what other substances can pass through safely. The problem we are having though is, we are making an A-34, which will restrain his conscious personality and draw out his subconscious out. However, this is a very complex thing to produce, especially since some ingredients required may interfere with the other serums."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, she didn't know what an "A-34" was. In Konoha, they never numbered or listed antidotes, serums, or any medicine in fact. She knew them only by functions.

Her quick mind set to work, processing all the serums she was taught, and there seemed only to be one she could think of that would fit the description. However, this was a very dangerous liquid to make. She knew if anything went wrong, Gaara would be in fatal trouble. Plus, she had only learned about it in theory, having never made one before.

Scientists created the liquid in question, long ago when they did experiments on the human psyche, though it has been modified in later years.

Once the user drank the liquid, the chemicals infused would travel up the brain stem, and into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, drawing out the personality of the user. His conscious personality would be restrained, and his unconscious personality will be pulled out through a series of tests based on mental and physical responses.

(A/N: Just a small disclaimer! I am in no way a professional in areas like psychology or neurology, so although the physical structures and functions of the brain are correct, The drawing out of unconscious personality and all that…just for the purpose of this story, I'm still just a fifteen year old kid, Haha! )

Sakura winced; this was something she was not looking forward to creating. It could be very dangerous.

"Won't this interfere with the other serums that he's already injected? It says here you had him under heavy anesthetic, and he's also had a fair dose of the truth serum from the interrogation squad. His body won't be able to handle much more…" She said strategically.

"B-20 has worn off mostly, it's just the A-12 we are worried about. It interferes with A-34." The man explained. Sakura flashed him a look,

" Ah, okay let me explain this way. The anesthetic was typical hospital level, and it wore off a while ago. The remains are just in his system still. The truth serum hasn't seemed to change anything, so we have opted just to use the A-34 to draw out his subconscious. Normally we would have just had the Hokage look into his brain with chakra, however, Gaara is a bit complicated. We are going to have to do it the old fashioned way."

Sakura sighed and tied her hair up with a hair elastic.

"If it has to be this way, I'll make it. Not that I don't trust your medics, it's just that I have a need to be in control when it comes to this kind of stuff." She explained.

The man nodded and said,

"I understand. We are here to assist if you need anything."

Sakura murmured a quick 'thank you' before diving into her work. Grabbing empty vials and bottles and setting them up, she turned around to find the extensive selection of plants already cut up.

Picking them out carefully, Sakura set it aside and went to boil some water in a small pot. Opening their medicine cabinet, she searched around the many glass bottles until she found three chemicals she needed.

A little over an hour later, Sakura had prepared the water. Several chemicals were added in, stirred in vigorously until a mist engulfed the pot. With her free hand, she gathered a small amount of chakra and began to put in the pounded leaves and a paste like substance.

Moving her arms around, her chakra molded and stirred everything together, until the water turned to a dark gold color, and looked more like liquid metal then water.

"I need you guys to put this on top of the stove and keep it heated until I'm done with the preparations for the second part. Make sure it's consistent, kind of like cooking a pasta sauce." She added with an attempt at humor.

The others offered a polite chuckle, though they knew how stressed she was on the inside. They followed her instructions as Sakura told the others to help her pick out some herbs and mix them together.

"Insert a little of your chakra into them, and really make sure they are mixed evenly. A slight imbalance can create different reactions in the body." She explained with a serious tone.

So the group of Medics worked until they could no more and finally, the labors of their work was a small glass vial of a murky looking substance, three hours later.

Exhausted, Sakura made her way into the instructed operation room, and her heart lifted slightly at the sight of Gaara, lying down on a table in the center of the room, with some medic nin surrounding him and Tsunade standing over him.

He had ink written all over his body, a circle all leading to his forehead, and he glanced up at Sakura with a slight smile, though his eyes were glazed over.

Alarmed, Sakura walked over and asked what his progress was.

"The others will leave in a minute, as I expect it will be dangerous for them to stay with us. They will watch the progress with the board members from that mirror over there." Tsunade explained to her pupil who nodded simply at this bit of information.

Sakura really didn't care that the board was watching, she just wanted to make sure Gaara was okay.

"I have him in a dream state though my chakra alone can't hold him there for much longer, we will begin the procedures now. Go get prepared." She said firmly.

With a nod, Sakura retied her hair and took a splash of water on her face with a sigh. Wiping it off with a towel, she felt refreshed as she made way over to the table.

With the elixir in hand, she opened his lips and poured all of it in. Tsunade immediately turned to the clock.

"It will take only sixty seconds to affect him. We aren't sure what to expect, so please, focus on the task at hand. Remember what I said to you on the roof." Tsunade instructed, adding the last bit quietly.

Sakura looked determined and simply nodded once. Holding her hands palms toward Gaara, and bending her knees slightly, she and Tsunade looked like mirrors as they both shouted out the release for the seal written over Gaara.

A radiant glow seemed to explode from within the building, and Sakura had to fight to stabilize her footing. She heard Tsunade shouting from the other side not to lose focus.

When the glow faded, Gaara lay there silently, eyes closed. Sakura's heart sped up for a moment, had it gone wrong? A panic rushed through her mind until his eyes snapped open and he howled out.

Feeling her teacher's gaze upon her, Sakura returned to her task and quickly restrained him with chakra binds.

The monster before them screamed and howled, jerking wildly on the table, slamming his body against the metal, almost sure he could break the bonds.

However, Sakura was one of the best when it came to chakra binds, since her control was perfect, and he would not be winning the fight.

"You will do as we say. If you do not, you may never see day light again." Tsunade began, and Sakura flashed her a worried look at her harsh words.

Gaara seemed to flash his demonic eyes at her and made a loud growl before sitting down.

Sakura followed Tsunade's example, and the two sat in opposite chairs on either side of him.

"State your name." Tsunade commanded. The boy seemed to howl in laughter before a raspy voice answered, surprising Sakura greatly.

"It's obvious who I am. Know your place, _woman. _I'm the kazekage here. You don't have rank."

Tsunade nodded simply, not even flinching at his voice.

"I am also not the one in binds. Now if you please, tell me, why do you want to be a kazekage?" She asked him.

Gaara seemed to roll his head before he returned facing her with a wide grin.

"It means I'm the strongest in the whole village."

Sakura frowned, this didn't sound like Gaara at all. She didn't want to believe he had a different personality, she wouldn't believe it.

"Is strength the most important thing?" She asked.

"Of course it is! What else do you need in life? All these fucking people, I don't care about them, they can go die if they want to. It's survival of the fittest. And if anyone challenges my place, I'll _kill_ them." Gaara responded, smirking at the last bit.

"What is your reason to live?" She asked him, not even wavering once.

Gaara seemed to switch gazes to Sakura, before he chuckled loudly.

"To fight." He hissed out, with a maniacal glint in his eyes.

"Would you say you are like this all the time? Would you say you are a nice person?" Tsunade continued on.

Gaara howled with laughter at that one.

"Nice? HAH. Why do I need to be compared and placed into these boxes? I do what I like. I have no need to be _nice._" He explained with another laugh.

"What about your friends? what do they mean to you?" Tsunade asked.

"Friends are a joke. They don't care about you. They benefit from being with you, that's why they are with you. I don't see the need for friends. There is nothing I need from them, or them with me."

Sakura clenched her fist at this. She has been sitting through all his responses, choking back responses.

The Gaara she knew would never say those things. Maybe at one point he had not realized the importance of trust and friends, but he surely knew it now.

At the thought of him, her heart burned. More then ever, staring at this monster who resembled Gaara in looks made her want to puke.

"You are not Gaara..."

"He would never say that." She hissed out, fighting back angry tears.

Gaara tilted his head to the side and seemed to grin at her display of emotion.

"Please, _girl_. I AM Gaara. You've met some phony ass sugarcoated version of me. He's gone, dear! I've gone and took him away. This body is mine." He shouted with a laugh.

At that sentence, Sakura felt her heart drop.

Her eyes widened and she looked at Tsunade, who also looked surprised.

"What do you mean you ARE Gaara? "

"You are not. What did you do with Gaara? Answer me!" Sakura began to ask, a flurry of questions, worryin surging through her veins. Her head throbbed with pain, and her chest was tightening. She didn't want to believe him.

"Oh look! The blossom is panicking!" He began, cackling at her weakness.

" What do you think I did with him! He is nothing but a nuisance. He's gone, and he's never coming back."

"He stole my body! He took over, only because he had the one-tail. Now that's gone, he's a weak nobody and I'll make him pay for stealing my body." Gaara shouted, with a slam of a fist against the metal table, his breath hardening, as his eyes narrowed.

"Your body? What are you talking about! I don't know who you are, but this body belongs to Gaara. I won't let you hurt him." Sakura hissed out in anger.

"I AM Gaara. You haven't met me. You've only met that sorry excuse of a soul who took all his defenses down after his demon was gone. He is even too weak to have his own name!"Gaara scoffed.

A slap was echoed through the room.

Sakura stood over him panting, eyes red and watering.

"Don't talk about him like that."

Gaara hissed out in pain, spitting out blood as he glared at Sakura.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH. I'LL KILL YOU." He screamed, attempting to escape the binds and throwing his body violently up and down.

"Was it you?! That day, in the arena. Was that you who hurt Kiba?" She asked him, fists tightening.

"What if it was…" Gaara cooed with a sly smirk. Sakura looked up now, hot tears rushing down her cheeks.

"You son of a bitch. Give Gaara back, now. You are not him, and you won't ever be." She hissed at him.

He laughed.

"You don't seem to get it."

" I **am** Gaara. 100 percent me. You've only seen the idiot that imitates me. He's weak, pathetic, he's not Gaara. He does not deserve to be part of me, so I took him out."

Sakura's glare hardened as she glanced over to Tsunade who gave her a stern look before writing things down in a notebook.

"So, are you saying, he is part of you?" She asked quietly.

"Of course. How do you think he got so strong? It sure as hell wasn't him. It was all me!"

"Look girlie. Look at it this way."

" The Gaara you know is maybe 10 percent real. He is the parts of me that were too weak to form a body. A soul without a shell. Somehow, he got put into mine. I'm sick of it, this is my body."

"This is not your body. This is…HIS." Sakura said through gritted teeth.

"Give back Gaara." She repeated. The other Gaara seemed to laugh.

"Why? I don't want to. Besides, I don't even think I can."

"Thanks though, I guess. You are the one that let me out." He howled with laughter at Sakura's face as he told her.

"I let you out? What do you mean!" She demanded, face twisting in horror. Tsunade gave her another look and Sakura calmed down. She had a sick feeling in her stomach again.

Gaara chuckled,

"I never would have escaped his unconscious by my self. Thanks though kid, you practically did it for me." He said with another laugh.

This time Tsunade was the one to shut him up.

" If what you say is true, then Gaara should be in your unconscious. You realize we can reverse the effect easily." Tsunade stated.

Gaara laughed hollowly.

"What makes you think he wants to come back? Look at what you've done to him. He doesn't mind me in control, the spineless fuck. This is my body now."

Sakura looked up in shock.

"You're lying! Gaara wants to come back. He would never want you in control of his body."

"DON'T YOU GET IT ALREADY? I AM GAARA. We are one. I know he doesn't want to come back, and he doesn't want to see you." Gaara added with venom.

Sakura felt her heart shatter. She knew this other Gaara was another personality and definitely not Gaara, but it still hurt to hear that.

She gritted her teeth before she glared and spoke up,

"The Gaara I knew would never say anything hurtful to his friends. This is further proof you are not him." She said quietly.

Gaara laughed loudly and looked over at Tsunade.

"What's with this kid? Tell her to get a clue." He instructed with a laugh. Tsunade gave him a stern glance.

"If you are Gaara, what shall we call the other?" Tsunade asked him. Sakura looked up in disbelief.

"You can't believe him can you, Tsunade-sama?!"

"Sakura, be quiet." Tsunade said sternly, causing the girl to shut up immediately.

"I don't know. Who cares, he's never coming back." Gaara called to Sakura with giggles.

Sakura was on verge of tears once more,

_**It's not true. He is just bluffing.**_

"When did he emerge then?" Tsunade asked.

"When my parents died. They were getting in the way. Then he got in my way too. Him and that one-tail. They took over my fucking body and locked me up."

"How did he appear? In your mind?" Tsunade asked.

"Well obviously. He was such an innocent little body. If he hadn't had the demon, I would have killed him by now. Are we done with the interview, fuck this shit."

"Yes we are.We're going to do a couple of basic physical tests now." Tsunade decided several minutes later, as she set up several moniters.

Sakura pulled aside Tsunade,

"What are you doing?! Tsunade-sama, it's obvious he's unstable. We can't just let this continue! We have to bring back Ga-"

"Sakura, remember we can bring Gaara back any time we want. Do not get emotional." She hissed at her student, who stopped her talking with an embarrassed blush.

The physical tests began with simple one on one sparring. This Gaara did not seem to possess the grace of the other Gaara. However, his movements were all powerful, deadly punches and kicks and quick steps completely silent. During this,

"Are you a killer? Or would you consider yourself one?" Tsunade asked.

"I just love people's expressions when they are about to die."Gaara chose to answer with a cold laug, throwing a kick towards Tsunade's face.

"You monster..." Sakura hissed from the side, her hand gripped the pen tightly as she recorded his movements. How badly she wished she was the one sparring.

"I have enough information. Put him back under quick, I have to go make my report." Tsunade said, ten minutes later, stopping the spar.

Both snapped their attention to Tsunade. Gaara howled out immediatly and ran towards the woman, ready to kill.

Sakura reacted instantly and ran forward, slamming her fist into his shoulder, feeling it crack. With a satisfied grin, she threw him on the table.

Taking advantage of this moment of shock, the two women shouted the seal once more. A scream of most tortured pain occured, causing Sakura to almost regret what she had done, and then, the light faded and it went silent.

Now, after the chakra restraints were taken off, Sakura felt completely drained, only realizing now how much chakra she used up that day. It was beyong her limit.

"Go home and rest Sakura." Tsunade advised.

"No…I have to know the result…" Sakura murmured, wiping tiredly at her eyes.

"I won't be reporting till morning. I am writing my report tonight." Tsunade explained.

Sakura struggled before she gave in.

"All right. I'm going."

"Good. I'll see you in the morning." Tsunade said with a nod of her head before she turned away.

--

Hours later, during the odd hours of the night, Tsunade stared down at the complete paper in her hands.

"God I hope I made the right choice."

--

**A/N: **Ah, I think you are used to these endings by now. Haha! Anyways, I'm going to bed now, because it is the odd hours of the night for me as well. I love your reviews guys! You are all truly amazing. We're getting closer to the endingg, I hope you are excited. And by the way, how was this chapter? Okay? I was a little iffy on it.

Please r/r! Ciao! D.


	11. AUTHORS NOTE

A/N: Ah, Why so late

**A/N:** NO WAY. I'M ALIVE?

Back from my disappearance, I'm sure all of you have gotten used to them by now, I finally had some time to sign on, the minute I did, I got bombarded with alerts of reviews and such. I'm so flattered but at the same time filled immense amounts of guilt. It's been a year since I've posted something, no real big excuse other than just life I suppose.

It's approaching summer however, and as summer comes, I have more free time (like the six hours I'll have free all of a sudden) to write. By the way, it is my birthday in two days, so probably on the weekend; I'll have something posted.

Feel free to throw things at me, ask questions, dance around, I'll be answering your reviews in my next post. But ya, this is just a quick heads up that I am here, and I will be updating.

Hope you're still here with me,

Xoxo DM


	12. Goodbye

A/N: Yes, I'm aware of the huge time gap since my last update. I am also aware of the time gap between my supposed update and the lack of delivering it. This is what I have to say.

I began to write as I said I would, but I didn't upload any of the chapters for some reason. I guess it didn't feel right. And now, if you've kept up with the manga, you should know what has happened. I won't give it away for those who haven't but...it basically kills my entire plotline. So I guess I'm just trying to say, I've lost hope for this story. I'm so sorry to any loyal fans I might still have, I don't know how else to apologize other than the perhaps a slight peace offering. I have started a new GaaxSaku fic, and this one is already typed up and finished, so it will be updated consistently. It is similar to both Red Sand and Euphoria; however, it is a few more years into the future, a realm I can still play with, until the manga catches up.

Hopefully, I'll see all you in the new fic? If not, I'm sorry about this, once again.

Love, D.


	13. Revived

A/N: OH HAI. So yeah, I realize all of you probably hate me, which is totally called for and fair for ending off the way I did. But in case you still have some interest, here's the rewrite of that fanfic I promised. It'll be new and much better (hopefully) just in terms of writing, so yeah. I hope you guys give it a shot!


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